Changing Lives
by Harry-Potter-Magic
Summary: After the Final Battle went horribly wrong, Fawkes presented Harry with a choice allowing him to save the lives of everyone he cared about, by giving up the only life he'd ever known. Waking up in 1972 in his ten year old body, Harry has to figure out how to stop a war without anyone finding out who he really is. Time Travel, No Slash
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: If I owned Harry Potter, I wouldn't be sharing a room with my three siblings in my Grandparent's house.**

**The story was inspired by mini-mid's Harry Potter and the Pheonix Burning but I do plan to make many important changes to the plotline.**

* * *

Harry's eyes snapped open and he stared at the night sky. His mind was spinning as he tried to remember what had happened. Memories flashed through his mind as he remembered Colin, Fred, Remus, and Tonks' bodies all lying in the Great Hall before the remaining fighters had left to finally finish the war. He remembered the killing curse hitting him and the choice he had made, then tumbling from Hagrid's arms and beginning to fight again before Voldemort had disappeared from his sight.

Luna had fallen first, taking a killing curse that had been aimed at Neville. They hadn't even seen who had cast it. After Lucius Malfoy had sent the same horrible green curse at Hermoine, Harry had seen something he never thought possible as Hermoine's death caused Ron and Draco to fight side by side against her killer. Ron had fallen as well before Draco had killed his own father in revenge for the murder of those he had always pretended to hate. The loss of a second child had sent the Weasley parents into a frenzy, taking down five Death-Eaters before Ginny's death right in front of them sent Ms. Weasley into shock. She had never even seen the green light coming at her.

In his grief, Harry cast every spell he could think of as he parted the crowd of Death Eaters to get to Voldemort. He found Voldemort in the middle of a crowd of his followers, letting them shield him just as he had accused Harry of allowing his friends to do. A vicius duel had begun and Harry had been convinced more than once that he would not survive the fight until both had cast a spell at once and their wands locked as they had so many years ago in the graveyard. Harry found strength in his determination to avenge his friends and the killing curse Voldemort had cast had rebounded against him, killing the man for the final time, but the fight didn't end there.

As the battle raged on, Harry, Neville, and Draco all ended up fighting together against the remaining Death Eaters until Draco was killed by someone he had once called his friend, Gregory Goyle. The battle continued until it came down between Harry and Neville fighting back to back against Bellatrix and and two others who had refused to leave unlike many of the remaining Death Eaters who had realized they were losing the battle. Bellatrix Lestrange made her final mistake by killing Neville, whom Harry believed to be his last remaining friend. In his rage, Harry didn't even remember what curse he had cast, he only knew that there wasn't much left of the woman.

As the smoke settled and the survivors gathered, Harry discovered that the only remaining Weasleys were Arthur, Percy, and George. Bill and Fleur had fallen together, side by side, and Charlie had taken three Death Eaters with him as he avenged his brother. Hannah Abbott, Terry Boot, Parvati Patil, and Dean Thomas were the only other students that had survived the battle. Madam Pomfrey, Professors McGonagall and Flitwick had been killed along with most of the Order and Harry had suddenly found himself wondering if winning was even worth it.

Hours later, he had headed into the forest in hopes of having one final conversation with his friends but he was unable to find the stone. He had broken down, falling down against a tree as the adrenaline finally began to fade away and he found himself able to feel the pain of the injuries he had been ignoring. Through the cloud of tears, he almost didn't see the Pheonix in front of him until he heard a voice inside of his head.

_'Too many lives have been lost today._' The voice said,_ 'In fact, too many lives have been lost throughout this war with that mad man who called himself Voldemort. His death does not erase their's.'_

"I tried, Fawkes." He said as he stroked the bird, still in shock himself, "I'm sorry."

_'I know that you did, Young One. This was not your fault. Too much was placed on your shoulders. I can tell you are to be my bonded now and I can offer you a choice. It's not often done but under these circumstances, I believe it may be needed.'_

Harry sighed, willing to do nearly anything, "What can you do?" he asked.

_'It's not so much as what I can do as it's what I can allow you to do. You can stay here and try to rebuild this world or I can send you back.'_ Fawkes replied, '_Back to the beginning of the second war or back to when all of this had only just begun.'_

"Can you really do that?" Harry asked skeptically.

Fawkes answered, _'I can, but the choice is yours.'_

If he went back to his first year, he would have his friends back, but the war had changed them so much that they would never be the men and woman who had died today and there were many others who had died before, in the first war. How selfish would he be if he only saved some when he could save them all?

He took a deep breath before looking up at the Pheonix, "Send me back to the beginning."

The bird began to sing and that was all he had known before he had woken up here. He began to sit up, wondering what the Pheonix had done as he realized that he was much smaller but his injuries were still there. He cried out in pain as he attempted to stand before falling back to ground and suddenly the sound of rushing feet could be heard and he heard voices asking who was there. He saw a woman's face in front of his own before he fell into unconsciousness.

* * *

Harry awoke in a bright room with a nurse by his bed changing an IV. He blinked, attempting to bring her into focus but failing as he didn't have his glasses.

"Hello, sweetie." The nurse said softly, "Are you in any pain."

"No." He lied automatically.

The nurse looked skeptical before asking, "Can you tell me what your name is?"

"Harry Potter." He answered instantly, before wondering if he should have said something else, "Do you know what day it is?"

"May 3rd." The nurse replied with a kind voice.

Harry knew he was going to sound weird with his next question but he had to find out. "What year?" He asked in a small voice.

The nurse frowned before answering, "1972.", sounding slightly concerned. Harry quickly did the math in his head and found that his parents would be in the end of their first year. "Can you tell me who your parents are, Harry?" The nurse asked.

Harry gave a small sigh, "I'm an orphan." He answered honestly as he looked at the sheet, feeling overwhelmed at the situation. He really had been sent back in time.

The nurse gave a small gasp, "Oh, you poor thing." she said instantly before going back to fiddling with the IV before quickly leaving the room.  
He could hear voices on the other side of the door but could only make out snatches of conversation.

"He must be from that orphanage..."

"...burned down?"

"... what did..."

"...similar injuries..."

He realized that if he had understood correctly, he might have accidentally given himself the perfect cover story but wondered if whatever had happened to the orphanage was a early attack of Voldemort's if there were people with similar injuries.

A blurry flash of fire appeared in front of him and he jumped. The figure peered curiously at him before the voice was in his head again. _'Hello, Young One.'_

"Fawkes?" Harry whispered to the bird.

_'Yes, Young One. Pheonix's are immortal and though the details are hard to explain, I know what my future self has done. You have been sent back to 1972 in your ten year old body so you can attempt to end this war before so many lives are lost.'_

Harry stared at the blurry bird. "What do I do?" he asked, suddenly finding himself scared as the weight of the world seemed to be on his shoulders again.

_'The nurses already believe that you have come from an orphanage that burnt down in an attack by Voldemort and I believe this will be a good story for you. Once you arrive at Hogwarts, your last name should draw attention and I believe your grandparents will likely take you in. There is a spell that can reveal who your parents are. If it is used, it will say your father is Edmund Potter, your grandfather's brother who disappeared many years ago. The spell will only reveal magical parents so the issue of your mother will no longer be a problem as it will be assumed she is a Muggle.'_ Fawkes explained.

"What happens now?" Harry asked the bird slowly.

Fawkes trilled, _'Allow them to place you in a 'new' orphanage. Come September, you will be in Hogwarts and once there, I believe you will soon find a new home. I will check on you however I cannot stay with you. Though one day we will be bonded, Albus is still alive in this time.' _Harry nodded and stroked the birds back before falling back to sleep, deciding to worry about the details later.

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**AN: Yes, I am writing another story. I hope you like it! Credits to: B00kw0rm92, my sister, who helped me with the idea's and beta'd it. **


	2. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: If I owned Harry Potter, I would not be sharing a room with my three siblings in my grandparents house.**

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**July 17th, 1972**

Harry sat up in his bed, eyes wide and sweat glistening on his forehead. Another nightmare. He'd been having them every single night since he'd gone back in time, reliving his friends' deaths and other horrors from his life in the future. Everyone had assumed it was from when the orphanage had burned down and he had made sure not to give them a reason to think otherwise. No one had ever doubted the story as he had scars that resembled those that the other survivors had. He felt guilty that they now thought badly of the likely innocent workers killed in the fire due to the other scars he bore. The glamour he had worn ever since the middle of first year being gone when he had woken up in the past.

He took a deep breath and turned his head towards Will's bed, wondering when the other boy's Hogwarts letter would arrive. William Anderson, another boy in the orphanage he had been sent too, was most definitely a Wizard. Harry had seen the boy change John Brown's hair color to pink and a lamp to explode next to Mark Johnson when they had been picking on him for being a 'freak'.

Will, whose birthday was today, was the only person that Harry had really spoken too since his arrival. He knew his new friend would be getting his Hogwarts letter that day and wondered if it would arrive by owl or with a professor as he had heard muggleborns mention happening. He worried about his own reactions to seeing someone he used to know, especially if it was someone who had been killed in the war.

Will was already awake and was sitting on his bed, kicking his feet happily, blue eyes sparkling and brown hair still messy from sleep. The boy was the bubbliest person he'd ever known. He was very optimistic despite his situation and could hardly ever stand still, preferring to run around the orphanage, laughing nearly every chance he got. Something told him that Will would have gotten along wonderfully with the twins.

"Morning, Will." Harry yawned as he got out of bed, causing the other boy to beam at him.

"Good morning Harry!" Will announced happily, smiling wide and causing twin dimples to appear, "It's my birthday!"

Harry grinned at him, "I know, Happy Birthday!" Harry replied to his friend. "Come on, let's go get breakfast." he added. This resulted in Will nodding enthusiastically before jumping off of his bed and racing to the door with Harry following soon after, wondering if he had ever been like that.

* * *

Shortly after breakfast, Will and Harry went outside to play. Harry found it hard to act the age he was supposed to be, especially since he'd never gotten to be a kid with the Dursley's, but he was trying to act at least a little younger, not wanting to leave any reason for someone to be suspicious.

After a while, the voice of Ms. Taylor called out, "William! There's someone here to see you."

Harry froze. He knew someone had come to give William his letter and was curious who it would be, despite his nervousness. Not having anything else to do anyway and suddenly finding himself needing to know who it was, he followed William inside to see a woman with her black hair pulled back in a tight bun and a strict face. He froze again, it was Professor McGonagall.

Said professor also froze when she saw him, slight panic showed on her face, "Mr. Potter?" She asked. Harry had to fight the urge to laugh as he schooled his face into confusion. His father had probably caused the teacher many problems when he was in school and even if not, it was understandable that she would be concerned at thinking she saw him in an orphanage.

"How do you know my name?" He asked in what he hoped was a believably confused voice.

McGonagall sighed after looking at him for a minute, "I'm sorry. You greatly resemble one of my students with the same last name. What is your name?" She asked.

"Harry Potter." He answered carefully; suddenly nervous about what would happen as the magical world learned his name. McGonagall raised an eyebrow and pulled out a piece of paper, skimming through it before stopping on one line, looking back at the boy, and putting the paper away.

"Mr. Potter, do you know who your parents are?" She asked him, looking into his green eyes.

Harry awkwardly shuffled his feet. "Well, I know my dad's last name was Potter, but that's all. They died when I was little." He replied. McGonagall nodded and thought for a minute.

"I would like to talk to you as well, Mr. Potter." She said, and Harry realized she was going to 'tell' him about magic as well. "I am a professor at a school called Hogwarts." She started.

Will gave a small laugh, "That's a funny name." He muttered and Harry held back a laugh of his own, wondering how Will would react to the rest of it.

McGonagall seemed to pretend she didn't hear anything, "Tell me boys. Do you believe in magic?" She asked them. Will looked confused.

"No. Magic's not real." William said.

McGonagall gave a small smile. "What would you do if I told you that it is." William snorted.

"I'd tell you that you were crazy." He answered boldly, causing Harry not to be able to hold the laugh back, getting a strange look from Will.

McGonagall seemed unfazed, obviously told that a lot by muggleborns. "Well, Magic is real and I can prove it."

"Really?" Harry asked in a fake skeptical voice, causing the professor to nod and pull out her wand before muttering something under her breath, causing a chair to turn into a table. William gasped.

"Have you ever done something you couldn't explain?" McGonagall continued. William and Harry nodded, Harry pretending to be shocked and Will not having to pretend at all. "That is accidental magic. All Wizards and Witches can do it. Hogwarts is a school where you go to learn to control your magic and eventually, to cast spells like the one that I just did."

Will stopped gaping as his look of shock turned into one of awe and excitement, "Wicked." He breathed out, "So when I turned Brown's hair pink, it was accidental magic?" McGonagall nodded and Will smiled before looking confused again, "Why did you just want me at first and not Harry?" He asked curiously.

"If you do not live with other Wizards or Witches, you usually are not told until your eleventh birthday. However, Harry looks much like another student I currently have and they share the same last name. This caused me to wonder if they two were related and Harry would be magical as well, so I looked at a list of students I'm supposed to come for and found his name on it. Once I knew, there was no real reason to wait only two more weeks to inform him that he was magical as well."

She turned towards Harry. "I know a spell that will be able to tell who your parents are if they had magic as well. I believe you may be related to the student I mentioned and this would provide proof of that. Will you allow me to cast the spell?"

Harry took a nervous breath before agreeing and the professor waved her wand over him, saying the words to a spell that he didn't recognize. A piece of parchment appeared in front of her and words began to appear on it as well. The woman nodded with a smile before showing him the parchment. Harry breathed a sigh of relief that he hoped would be interpreted as awe. It was exactly as Fawkes said it would be. The parchment read 'Father: Edmund Alexander Potter, Mother: Unknown.'

McGonagall took the paper back. "Your father was a Wizard named Edmund Potter, Harry. He dissapeared twelve years ago and no one knew what had happened to him. Your mother, however, was likely a muggle if the spell could not reveal her name - muggle is our term for non-magical people. However, your father had a brother and I know him. I'm sure that your aunt, uncle and cousin and will want to take you in. Charlus and Dorea have always wanted another child."

Harry looked at her, not bothering to hide the hope that was building in his chest. He could meet his family, he could live with them. However, with a look at Will's face, he knew what he had to say, "I couldn't leave Will." He said firmly. Will had been his only friend and he was Will's, he had to see if there was another way.

McGonagall frowned. "I have heard of a Wizarding family with William's last name, so it might be possible for him to have family as well. I could use the same spell and perhaps he has relatives who would be willing to take him in.

After William agreed, the spell was cast on him and a second parchment appeared before being handed to Will, who smiled. 'Father: Michael Richard Anderson, Mother: Unknown'

"I know your father and I believe it's likely he may not have known about you. Michael spent several years in the muggle world before he returned to ours, telling his family that he had been married but his wife had left him when he revealed his magic to her." The professor informed the other child.

William beamed at finding out his father was still alive. "Whoa." He whispered in a happy, shocked voice. "Harry! My dad's alive!"

"I heard." Harry said with a nod, his mind spinning at everything. Was he going to go to his grandparents earlier than Fawkes thought? He was more than fine with that but it made him nervous. How would he react to seeing his father and grandparents? He hadn't prepared himself for that yet.

McGonagall nodded and pulled out a letter. "Here is your acceptance letter to Hogwarts, Mr. Anderson." She said before turning towards Harry and rummaging through her bag for a moment, "Ah, here's yours as well, Mr. Potter."

Harry beamed and read through the letter, it was almost exactly same as last time and he suddenly couldn't wait to return to a whole, undamaged Hogwarts.

"If you two would like to come with me, I can take you to purchase your school supplies – and don't worry, the school has a fund for orphans. " She stated, getting two enthusiastic nods. She gave Harry and Will a quick smile before stepping out of the room to explain that the boys would be attending her school and she would be taking them to buy what they would need. A few minutes later, she had returned and after walking just out of sight, the professor took the arm of both children and side-along apparated them to the Leaky Caldron.

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**AN: Another chapter! I hope you liked it! Next chapter, they meet their family!**

**Credits to: B00kw0rm92 for being my beta.**


	3. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: If I owned Harry Potter, I wouldn't be sharing a room with my three siblings in m grandparents house.**

* * *

As they waited for their relatives to be granted custody, time had passed slowly for Harry. Every morning he would wake up from a nightmare, spend the day either reading through his magical books with William or staying outside with his friend, both of them wondering what their new families would be like and for Will, wondering what the magical world was like while Harry pretended to be just as curious. Then he would go to sleep and the cycle would start over again.

He was excited and nervous about meeting his grandparents and father, people he should have grown up with all along. He knew that he should start to think about them as his aunt, uncle, and cousin, but it was hard, especially as those terms had never meant anything good before.

William was as bouncy as ever as he constantly talked about his father, asking question after question that neither of them had the answers for, "I wonder what he's like. What does he look like? What does he act like? What house was he in Hogwarts? How old is he? Will he like me?" Harry knew that last question was easily his worst fear. Will was constantly worrying about whether or not his father would like him, though Harry tried to reassure him that he would.

When Will wasn't questioning what his father was like, he was wondering about Hogwarts and what house he would end up in.

"Ravenclaw sounds cool, but I don't think I'm smart enough for that. I don't think I'd be in Slytherin either and I don't know if I'm brave enough for Gryffindor or not, I've never really had to be. What if I'm not even loyal enough for Hufflepuff?." He had frowned. "I'm not good for any of them. What if they send me back here?"

Harry had tried reassured him that he was sure that he would be sorted into a house and that they would remain friends no matter what, but he knew it wouldn't do very much good as he remembered having the same thoughts himself the first time around.

There was one thing that had begun to plague Harry since they had been dropped back off at the orphanage. He didn't remember hearing the name Anderson before, in the future. It was possible that Will could have stayed out of the war and never had children, or he might have even left the country, but it worried Harry. What if Will had died? He wouldn't let that happen though. Will was his first friend in this timeline and he refused to let him die. He couldn't go through that again.

As the cycle continued, Will's excitement led to him waking up before Harry more often than not and after realizing that Harry seemed to suffer from nightmares every night, Will had become suspicious and had confronted him, much to Harry's horror.

"Harry, why do you have so many nightmares?" Will asked as he sat on the edge of Harry's bed.

Harry had frozen, his mind quickly searching for an answer. He had read all about the orphanage that had burned down just in case and he knew that it had been Voldemort but he was afraid of getting something wrong, not to mention the fact that he felt guilty about lying to his friend.

"Well," He had begun, "Before I came here, I was at another orphanage that burned down. You remember that?" He had asked him. Receiving a nod, he continued, "I read about it in some Wizarding books. It wasn't a normal fire, but I guess I kind of knew that already. There was a bunch of different colored lights – spells - along with the fire, and a lot of people died or got really hurt."

William had gaped at him and said, "I just thought it burned down."

Harry shook his head, "No, I read that it was actually some dark wizards that call themselves Death Eaters. Apparently they really hate Muggle's and were trying to kill all of us. It was … really bad. That's why I have nightmares." He finished, hating that he had just lied but glad that Will had seemed to believe it.

Will had blanched at that and quickly changed the subject. The two had talked into the night once again about what Hogwarts would be like, Harry making sure to through in a few guesses that he knew wouldn't be true.

* * *

Nearly two weeks later, the day they had been waiting for finally came and Professor McGonagall showed back up, this time with other four people. Michael Anderson was nearly a copy of Will with his tall stature, dark brown hair and blue eyes and the look on Will's face when he saw him was something that Harry knew he would never forget.

Harry's attention quickly turned to his family however and he hoped that the tears in his eyes made since with the story he had given. He could easily see a resemblance to the Black's in his grandmother, but her eyes were kind, as Sirius' had been when he looked at him. Charlus looked a lot like James, though Harry supposed that was really the other way around, but he could still see some of his grandmother's traits in his father.

He carefully and quickly examined James, amazed at not only seeing his father alive and in front of him, but that he wasn't much older than Harry was. They did look very similar, apart from the eyes as he had always been told, but looking closely, Harry would tell that there were other differences. While the resemblance was still obviously, he could see something off in the nose and chin and hoped that meant he had more of his mother in his appearance then he had thought. The biggest difference between Harry and his father at the moment seemed to be their height, Harry thought as he looked up at James and suddenly knew for sure that unless Lily was tiny there really was no one to blame but the Dursley's for his small size.

The Potter's stared at him as well, seeming to be shocked at the resemblance as well before Charlus announced, "Well, you've definitely got the Potter hair." before reaching over to ruffle Harry's hair affectionately

James nodded seriously. "You almost look like my twin!" He said happily, "Except a lot shorter. You sure you're ten?" he asked.

Harry blushed at the questioning but found himself beaming anyway simply because his family was alive in front of him and seemed to like him, "I'm almost eleven." He informed James, looking down at the ground for a moment.

"I'm guessing you're a shy one." Dorea said with a warm smile.

Harry gave a subtle nod and his blush intensified before the woman suddenly pulled him into a hug, "Welcome to the family, Harry." She said and he felt the tears spring quickly back into his eyes.

Ms. Taylor, who was standing to the side with a smile on her face, came into the conversation. "Harry doesn't talk to many people. He usually quiet unless he's with Will. I suppose their … talents may have had something to do with their friendship. " She explained. She had always been fascinated by what Will could do and even more when she spotted similar occurrences with Harry, but she was wary of calling it magic where the other children might hear.

Dorea frowned slightly before smiling again and Harry wondered if she had been told the story of his 'first' orphanage, "Well, he seems like a wonderful boy." She answered Ms. Taylor before turning to Harry. "Do you have your things?" She asked in a kind voice.

Harry nodded at her shyly, slightly embarrassed by what Mrs. Taylor had said.

"James, go help Harry with his things." Dorea said in a firmer voice then she had used before and Harry found himself wondering what his father had done.

James nodded and quickly followed Harry to the room he had been staying in, rubbing his neck sheepishly, "Mum's kinda mad at me right now. I might have put toothpaste in her hair when she was sleeping." He said with a laugh at the end. "Sirius dared me."

"Who's Sirius?" Harry asked in what he hoped to be a confused voice as he opened the door to his room and headed to his bed while James stared around the room.

"He's my best friend, you'll meet him when we go to Hogwarts." He answered. "Is this where you live?" He asked, his voice changing to sympathetic at the room he shared with William and another boy. The room was large but it was very plain and dirty. The other boy was a slob and threw his clothes everywhere. The walls were plain white with nothing on them and the floor was dirty wooden. Each bed was covered with a plain white blanket and a single pillow along with a trunk at the end of the bed.

Harry nodded, "For the last 3 months." He replied as he went straight to his trunk. James looked confused at that, but didn't say anything else before picking up one end of the trunk as Harry grabbed the other. "So, do you like flying?" James asked in a low voice so none of the other children could hear as they carried the trunk back to his parents.

"Never tried before." Harry answered, "But I guess it sounds kinda cool."

"Oh yeah." Mumbled James, "Sorry, I forgot. Do you know what house you want to be in?" he tried again, changing the subject.

"I don't know. Gryffindor sounds cool from what I've read." Harry said, thinking of the years he had spent in that house before.

James beamed at Harry. "It is, I'm in Gryffindor, going into my second year. It's the best house, then Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and last and definitely least is Slytherin."

Harry frowned, "Why's it so bad?" He asked, one if the things he was hoping to change was his father's prejudice against Slytherin's.

"They're evil. Well, except for my cousin Andie and my Mum. They're the only exceptions." James replied.

Harry frowned but decided to let it go for the moment. He didn't want his 'cousin' annoyed with him already. They quickly made it to where Dorea and Charlus were and the adults smiled at them happily as Charlus shook Mrs. Taylor's hand and told Harry to say goodbye. Harry hugged Will, promising to write to him and then headed outside with his family.

"So Harry, I assume you've never apparated?" Charlus asked the small boy.

Harry shook his head, "No, sir. At least I don't think so." He lied.

"You can call me Uncle Charlus, or just Charlue for now." Charlus said. "Now, hold onto my arm. Apparation is a way we can travel with magic and it will take us to our house. This will feel a bit like being squeezed through a tube, but don't let go. You may feel a little queasy afterwards but that's normal. The more times you do it, they easier it will be."

Harry nodded and grabbed onto his grandfather's arm as James grabbed his mother's. The familiar feeling came onto him and he squeezed his eyes shut. It felt different than it used to with his smaller body and he didn't have to pretend to be queasy afterwards thought the slight awe of seeing his grandparent's house for the first time definitely made up for it.

* * *

A few hours later, Harry was sitting at the table eating dinner with his grandparents and his father, trying to remind himself again to think of them as his aunt, uncle, and cousin.

James was nearly bouncing in his seat as he talked about seemingly everything he could think of. "And then Evans started to chase us down the halls, shouting jinxes at us and saying words I'd never heard her say."

Harry was chuckling by the end of the story. James had decided to tell Harry all about his pranks and had explained the people they were played on. Lily was making frequent appearances as well as Snape and several others whose names he didn't recognize. He was glad that none of the pranks his father had mentioned playing yet had really been cruel.

"Dad! Can we go flying after dinner?" James asked in a pleading voice.

Charlus laughed, "If Harry wants too, but you'll have to teach him James, he's never flown before." The man said.

James seemed to like that idea and immediately started to explain everything about Quidditch to him as they quickly finished eating before heading outside.

James taught him the basics of flying before they rose up in the air. Before they knew it, they were racing around the pitch that Harry was still amazed was on the property.

"Wow. You're a natural." James breathed with wide eyes, "I couldn't do that when I first rode a broom."

Harry blushed and felt guilty because it really wasn't the first time he had ridden a broom, "You're a good teacher." He said hoping his father wouldn't be upset.

James smiled at him, "I'm going to try out for the Quidditch team this year, I want to be Chaser!" he said proudly.

"Cool." Harry answered with a smile, "I bet you'll get it." He added, remembering that his father had played that position at some point.

That night, Harry went to bed without any nightmares for the first time in months.

* * *

**AN: YAY! Another chapter! It will probably be a little longer until my next chapter. I can't forget my other two stories! I hope you liked this one. By the way, I would love Constructive Criticism to improve my writing. **


	4. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: If I owned Harry Potter, I would not be sharing a room with my three siblings in my grandparents house.**

* * *

It was July 31st, Harry's birthday. He opened his eyes and stared at the ceiling, waking up from a rare dream that wasn't bad. In fact, it was pretty good as he witnessed getting his Hogwarts letter again. He hadn't had many nights where he wasn't awaken from a nightmare since the day he landed in this time. He hoped it was a good sign for the day. The first time around, his eleventh birthday had turned out to be one of the best days of his life.

Throwing his legs over the bed, Harry bounced happily down the stairs. He had learned a lot about his family from the few days he had been with them. Charlus was head Auror, Dorea was a Medi-Witch and James was totally fascinated with Lily Evans. He heard about his father's early crush on his mother, but he hadn't realized just how serious it had been. Lily was one of James' favorite subjects - her, pranks, and Quidditch.

Harry walked into the dining room to find his family already at the breakfast table. James looked up from his food when he spotted Harry, "Happy Birthday!" he said enthusiastically before Charlus and Dorea echoed their son.

Harry nearly froze in shock. He hadn't expected them to remember it was his birthday. Even after the years he spent receiving letters and presents from his friends, a life with the Dursley's had conditioned him to never having it acknowledged in person. It was unexpected and shocked Harry, even as he reminded himself that of course things would be different here.

"Er, thanks." He replied as he sat down, blushing. A plate of food appeared in front of him and he quickly dug in.

* * *

"Cake!" James chanted, jumping up and down in his seat. "Cake! Cake! Cake!"

"Calm down James. You're more excited than Harry." Laughed Dorea as she cut the cake and handed the first piece to Harry. "You'll get your piece of cake in a minute."

James pouted jokingly for a minute but brightened up when a piece of cake was finally passed to him.

Harry chuckled at the boy and rolled his eyes, still amazed at getting to see his father like this as he ate his cake. It was very good, but it wasn't as good as Mrs. Weasley's and he felt a pang of sadness as he thought of her.

"When's Harry going to open his presents?" James asked happily.

Charlus chuckled, "In a minute, James. Wait until after we eat."

James stuck his tongue out. "He had to open mine first!" He said bouncily. "You'll really like it, Harry. I know you will."

"I probably will." Harry said feeling a little overwhelmed with all this. Sure, he'd gotten presents before but it was usually all from owls and he wasn't surrounded by other people. He had never had the chance to experience a family birthday.

A few minutes later, Harry was sitting on the couch with James bouncing up and down beside him before the hyper teenager picked up a present and handed it to Harry. "Here, Harry! This one's from me!" he declared.

Once he finally finished with the presents, he sat still for a moment, amazed. He had received Quidditch through the ages, a miniature Quidditch set, some magical board games, and a few other books. It was one of the best Birthday's he'd ever had. He just wished that his friends could have been there.

* * *

Harry shot up in bed with a yell of 'No!' He had been back at the graveyard when Voldemort had come back to life. He hated that memory. It was the first time he witnessed someone die, other than his parents. The first time he had really known what was happening.

The nightmares had continued every night, becoming nearly unbearable as he watched his friends die one by one. The door opened and James peeked in, "Harry? You okay?" He asked in a sleepy voice.

"Yeah, I'm fine. You go back to sleep." Harry answered, inwardly cursing his nightmares. He definitely hadn't wanted to wake up James.

James obviously didn't believe him though because he walked into the room and sat on Harry's bed. "What's wrong?" He asked in a genuinely concerned voice. Harry had grown close to James over the past week and James made it clear that he already thought of him as a little brother.

"I'm fine." Harry replied in a steady voice as he stared at the red blanket.

James sent him a look, "Yeah, right. I know that's a lie. Tell me. What's wrong? Did you have a nightmare?" he asked.

Harry blushed crimson. He really didn't want to tell James that he'd been having a nightmare and he couldn't tell him what it was. "Yes." He finally mumbled.

James frowned, "About?" He pushed, wanting Harry to tell him even if Harry didn't want him too.

"The fire." He mumbled again, knowing he couldn't tell him the real reason.

James frowned, "What fire?" he questioned with his brows furrowed as he tried to think back to what Harry could be talking about.

Harry looked at him in genuine confusion. He thought that they would have known where Harry supposedly came from, but maybe they hadn't told James, "Before the orphanage that Professor McGonagall found me in, I was in a different orphanage that caught on fire. There were a lot of different colored lights that I found out later where actually spells. They said a group of Wizards called Death-Eaters were trying to hurt us."

James gaped, "So that's why mum and dad were acting so strange." He mumbled to himself before talking to Harry, "That's what you're having nightmares about?"

Harry nodded meekly, not liking lying to James but knowing he had too. He didn't know what would happen if he told them that he was really James' son from the future. "Yeah." He lied softly.

"Well, those Death-Munchers aren't gonna hurt you again. I promise!" James said in a bold voice. "They'll have to go through me first." He said, puffing out his chest.

Harry chuckled knowing a twelve year old boy would be nothing against Voldemort and hundreds of Death Eaters. "Thanks James." He replied with a laugh.

"Don't worry about it." James said, his voice filled with arrogance even though Harry could tell that most of it was just put on for Harry, "They won't stand a chance against me."

Harry's breath caught for a second as he thought of how Voldemort had killed James the first time around. That wouldn't happen this time though, he wouldn't let it. James would survive and hopefully live for a long time.

* * *

Harry sat at the Breakfast table with the Potter's as an owl flew in and dropped a letter in front of James who grabbed it quickly. "It's from Sirius." He said excitedly before opening it and reading it aloud to the whole table.

_"Dear James,_

_How's your summer going? Mine sucks. My parents keep trying to make me read about the Dark Arts and complaining that I'm a Gryffindor and not a Slytherin. I haven't managed to convince Regulus that what my parents are teaching is wrong but I hope I can soon._

_Have you heard from Peter? I haven't gotten a letter from him all summer. I guess he's busy but I want to know how he's doing._

_I hope your summer is going better than mine. Any good pranks? Write back quickly please!_

_From,_

_Sirius."_

James laughed, "I'm going to tell him about the time I... never mind." He finished quickly under his mother's glare. He pulled out a piece of parchment and started to write out a response.

"So, Harry. Did you sleep well?" Dorea asked warmly.

Harry nodded slightly, "Yes ma'am." He responded, ignoring the look he got from James who knew that Harry hadn't slept well at all. He really wished the boy didn't know it because it would be so much easier to pretend it wasn't happening around his family. There was nothing he could do now though. James knew.

"I'm glad." Dorea said with a smile.

All of the sudden, a flash of fire appeared on the table and the Potter's jumped back in alarm before staring at the pheonix in wonder and curiosity.

"That's Dumbledore's Pheonix!" James said, pointing at Fawkes.

Fawkes' voice appeared in Harry's head again. 'I am nobody's Pheonix! We are bonded.' Fawkes said indignately.

Harry laughed at loud, not able to stop himself. The Potter's looked at him weirdly and he froze, wondering what he should say. He wasn't going to tell them that he could talk to Fawkes but he was going to have to say something or they would think he was crazy.

"Why'd you laugh?" James asked curiously.

Harry blushed, deciding to pretend to be oblivious. "I was laughing at what the bird said." He responded. Fawkes gave a few encouraging trills.

Charlus gazed at Fawkes curiously, "It didn't say anything, Harry."

"Are you sure? I heard it say something about it being nobody's Pheonix because they are bonded." Harry responded.

Dorea gaped at him ,"Wow. You can understand it? Talk to it, Harry."

Harry complied, "Er, Hello. What are you doing here?"

Fawkes trilled, 'Hello, Young One. I'm here to check on you. Tell them my name.'

Harry looked up, "Er, he said he's here to check on me. He said his name is Fawkes." He hoped they would believe it.

"Awesome! You can talk to Pheonix's!" James said excitedly. Harry just grinned at him.

"I guess I can." He decided it was best not to tell him that he could only talk to Fawkes, not other Pheonix's.

* * *

James came running down the stairs, "Mum! Can Sirius, Remus, and Peter come over this weekend?" He yelled.

"Stop yelling." Chastised Dorea, "They can, but only if you clean your room."

James frowned, "Can't Izzy just clean my room?" He asked.

Izzy was their house elf and Harry rather liked her. She was nothing like Kreacher, she wasn't even like Dobby. She was more like a friend that a house elf.

Dorea put her hands on her hips, "No, James. You need to do it yourself. Izzy is not your slave."

James looked like he was going to argue put he didn't. His shoulders slumped, "Fine." He agreed. "You want to help Harry? I can show you some Quidditch magazines."

"I guess so but I'm not doing all the work." Harry replied, not wanting to get James annoyed at him but also not wanting to be put with all the work.

James sighed, "I know." He said. "Come on!"

Harry walked up the stairs and into James' messy room. Clothes were thrown everywhere and half eaten food was left on the table. Harry scrunched his nose up, "Yuck." He said outloud, causing him to blush. He didn't want to hurt James' feelings. However, James just laughed instead.

"I know." He replied, "I've just never gotten around to cleaning my room in a while."

Harry really doubted it had ever been cleaned but left it alone.

"You'll love Sirius, Remus, and Peter. Although, I think you'll like Remus the most. You're both more bookish." James said.

Harry grinned, "I'm not that bookish." He replied. "You should have seen this one girl in the orphanage. Now she was bookish. Incredibly smart too. She was always complaining that I should read more." He said, thinking of Hermoine. Pushing that thought away as it made him think of her death.

There was a pause before James continued, "Why didn't you tell mum about the nightmare?" James asked him curiously. Harry froze, not expecting that question at all.

He felt his face redden, "I've survived months with nightmares. I'll be fine. I deal with it."

James raised an eyebrow, "You've had more?" The boy asked, "I thought it was only last night. I didn't know there were more."

Harry's face reddened even more, "Every night." He mumbled, "I'm used to it, though. I'm not weak. I can deal with it."

"I never said you were weak." Replied James. "I mean, that sounded really scare. It's normal to be having nightmares. How about I ask dad to get you a Dreamless Sleep potion?"

Harry quickly shook his head, "No. I can deal with it. I've done it before." He cursed his slip and hoped that James wouldn't catch it. Luckily, he didn't.

James looked skeptical, "Are you sure?"

"Yes." Harry nodded, "I'm sure."

"Whatever you say." James replied in a resigned voice, "Now, let's clean!"

* * *

The floo flared green and Remus stepped out. "Hey James." He said to Harry before looking closer and frowning, "Wait … you're not James."

Harry grinned, "Nope, I'm not." He said before turning to the stairs and calling for his 'cousin', "James! One of your friends is here." He yelled and the sound of rushing feet signaled that James was coming.

"I'm Remus Lupin." Remus said, trying to make conversation.

"Harry Potter." Replied Harry, "James' cousin. I live here now."

Remus frowned, "I didn't know James had a cousin."

James walked in, hearing Remus' sentence. "We didn't know about him until a few weeks ago when Minnie firecalled. We're his closest family so we took him in."

Remus smiled at James, "Where's Sirius and Peter?" He asked.

"You're the first one here! Sirius should be here soon but I don't know when Peter will be." James replied with a smile, "Come on now. Let's go to my room." He turned towards Harry, "Harry, can you stay here and send them up to my room when they come in."

Harry agreed and sat on the couch, starting to read through the Potion's book. He hadn't been able to do well the first time around but that was with Snape breathing down his neck. He already knew how to brew this time also so it should be easier.

He had also figured it would seem more realistic if his family saw him reading 'ahead'.

A few minutes later, Sirius stepped through. He looked glad to be away from his home as he stepped elegantly out of the fire. The boy spotted Harry and his eyes widened comically as he stared at him.

"Er, hello." Harry said to him, feeling awkward as he talked to his godfather.

Sirius beamed at him, " A Mini James!' He replied, sounding shocked before beaming happily, "I'm going to have to prank James. He never told me he had a brother." He schooled his face into sadness and wiped away fake tears, "I thought we told each other everything."

Harry laughed softly at Sirius antics. "I'm Harry. James' cousin."

Sirius caught sight of the Potions book that Harry was reading and rolled his eyes but ignored it. "James never told me he had a cousin, so I'm still going to prank him."

Harry was about to say something against it but stopped, thought, and replied, "Okay, you do that."

"I will! Where's James?" The other boy asked.

"He's in his room. He told me to send you up when you came." Harry said.

Sirius nodded happily and raced up the stairs, "Thanks, Mini James!" He called as he ran.

Harry rolled his eyes and sat back down with his book. However, before he could read more than two sentences the floo flared again and Peter stepped out. Harry's grip tightened as he forced a smile on his face.

"Who are you?" The coward asked fearfully.

Harry forced to keep his smile on, "James' cousin. They're all in his room. Upstairs, second door on your right."

Peter just nodded, sent a wary look at Harry, and walked off. Harry hesitated before walking up the stairs as well, wanting to hear what they were talking about. He didn't trust the rat with them and even though Peter hadn't done anything to them before he betrayed his parents, wanted to make sure.

"... didn't tell me you had a cousin." He heard Peter say.

"I didn't know until a few weeks ago." James replied, "Minnie found him at a Muggle orphanage and used a spell that would tell his parents. Apparently my Uncle that's been missing for years was his father."

There was a pause and then Peter's voice was heard again, "That's awfully weird." He said, "Do you know what happened to your Uncle?"

"Nope." James responded, "All we know is that he had a kid with a Muggle woman and we don't know what happened after that."

"Strange." Muttered Sirius, "If it wasn't so long ago, I'd say Death Eaters had something to do with it."

"Death what?" Asked Peter in a confused voice.

"Death Eaters. They're a group of people who hate Muggle's and are trying to kill them." James said.

"More than that." Sirius stated, "My parents agree with them and have been studying them. I'm pretty sure they would join if they weren't so lazy. Anyway, they don't just hate Muggles. They hate anyone who isn't a Pureblood and also the 'Blood Traitors'. Death Eaters are run by some maniac that calls himself Volde-something."

"Voldemort." Correct Remus.

Sirius responded, "Yeah that's it. Weird name. It means Flight From Death in French."

There was a pause and then he heard James say, "I didn't know you spoke French, Sirius."

"Most of the 'proper' Purebloods do."

Harry decided to leave there, feeling guilty that he was eaves dropping.

* * *

That night, Harry lie in bed wide awake. The four boys in the room across from him were very loud and Harry was almost grateful for that. At least he wouldn't be succumbed to a nightmare.

His thoughts were mostly on the rat. Was he evil yet? Was he good? Was there a way Harry could redeem him or out him?

It confused him greatly. He had no idea how to deal with Peter but he wanted to soon. If he had to out him, the shorter amount of time he spent with James, Sirius, and Remus, the better. That way they weren't hurt as quite as much. He knew it would still hurt no matter what, but he couldn't change that.

He rolled over onto his side at the wall. What had he gotten into? He had to save everyone without revealing that he was actually from the future. He didn't know how he could do that. It seemed impossible.

He had to do it though. He had to save them. There was no way he was going to let any of them die. Not if he could help it. The constant worry was pushing on his shoulders though. What if he didn't save them? What if they still died?

There was a sudden silence in the room next to him and Harry strained his ears to hear what they were saying.

"Peter fell asleep." He heard whom he assumed to be Remus whisper.

"Let's draw on him." He was pretty sure that was Sirius.

James was definitly next, "Yeah! I think Harry has some Muggle markers. I'll go get them."

Harry heard footsteps, a door opening and closing, more footsteps, and then light streamed into the room.

"Harry? You awake?"

Harry sat up in bed and looked at James, "Yeah, what do you need?" He asked.

James grinned at him, "Can we use your markers to draw on Peter? He fell asleep."

Harry laughed, "Sure, they're over there." He pointed to the desk.

James grabbed them, "Thanks." He paused at the door. "Why are you still awake?" He asked curiously.

"You guys are kinda loud but it's fine." He replied, not wanting them to feel bad. He liked not being able to fall asleep.

James winced, "Sorry. We'll be quieter."

"No, it's fine." Harry responded, "I don't mind."

James just sighed, "Thanks, Harry." He said, "Good night."

"Night." Harry replied back, watching James close the door and send the room back into darkness.

* * *

**AN: I hope you liked this chapter! Next chapter will be Harry starting Hogwarts and making new friends! Another OC will come into play! Constructive Criticism is approved! **


	5. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: If I owned Harry Potter, I would not be sharing a room with my three siblings in my Grandparent's house.**

* * *

September first came rather quickly for Harry and he soon found himself eating breakfast at the table with his family in preparation for finally heading to school. The days had been eventful and Harry was thankful that James was the only one who found out about his nightmares.

Fawkes had only shown up a few times and Harry had informed his family that the Pheonix was watching out for him, leaving them to gather from that what they would. Luckily, they didn't think much of it except that the Pheonix had taken a liking to Harry. The other Marauders hadn't come back and Harry didn't know whether to be thankful or not. While he was glad that Peter was not in the same house as Harry, he wanted to get closer to Remus and Sirius.

"Have you boys packed everything?" Dorea asked, staring at James as she said it. The twelve year old eyes widened and he jumped out of his seat and ran upstairs. Harry chuckled slightly.

"Mum! Have you seen my Potion's textbook?" He heard James' voice call from his room, there was a pause before he called back down,"Never mind!"

Charlus and Dorea rolled their eyes. "Last year, James forgot to pack several different thigns and we had to Owl it to him." Charlus said, "Hopefully, that won't happen this time."

Harry nodded and continued eating, hearing the occasional shout from James about a missing item and trying not to laugh.

"So Harry, are you all packed?" Dorea asked him. Harry nodded slightly and she sighed in relief before smiling at him, "Good."

Harry was incredibly nervous for the day but for a different reason than they thought. While most eleven year olds were worried about what house they would be in, Harry was nervous about seeing all those that had died - especially his mother.

"Don't worry Harry. It doesn't matter where you go. Trust me. Good people come from every house." Charlus told him, "I was a Gryffindor but Dorea was a Slytherin. Amazing people have come from Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff too. You'll do well no matter what house you're in."

Harry nodded at the man, already knowing that. He had known what Snape had done for the light side and Slughorn had been a great teacher as well.

-  
A few hours later, they were standing in front of the Hogwarts Express. Harry sucked in a slow, deep breath as he looked at the train, memories of riding it with his friends flying back into his mind. Dorea hugged the two boys with tears in her eyes. Even though Harry had only been with them a few months, she felt like he was one of her own. "Have a good time." She whispered into their ears. "Do try to stay out of trouble."

James just smirked at her, "No promises." He said lightly before backing down from a stern look from his mother, "Fine, I'll try." He said.

She smiled at them and they started to walk away so she shouted over the crowds, "Don't forget to write home."

Harry nodded at her and walked with James to the Hogwarts Express.

"Do you want to sit with us?" James asked Harry as they climbed on the express and started to find James' friends.

Harry thought for a minute before responding, "No, I want to find Will." He answered as he separated from James, "I'll see you later."

James nodded at him and continued on his way, peering into each compartment to find his friends. Harry took a deep breath and continued on his way, looking for his friend.

He passed by many compartments that held people he recognized from pictures or he'd met, Frank Longbottom, Kingsley Shacklebolt, Marlene McKinnon and Bellatrix Black, which caused Harry to take a deep breath as he tried to fight back his anger. It went on like this as Harry passed by so many he knew would either one day join Voldemort whose their lives would end if he didn't change things. He only saw a few that he knew were still alive when he was sent back.

He finally looked into a compartment and spotted his friend. However, he wasn't alone and one look at the dark haired girl nearly knocked Harry over. It was Alice Longbottom, or as she was known now, Alice Smith. Harry realized that Neville looked as much as his mother as Harry did his father. Neville, while still sharing a few features with his father, looked a lot like her and Harry had to force away the images of his body. He vaguely remembered that Alice had been a year younger than Frank, so she would also be starting Hogwarts this year.

The other girl had long, wavy, blond hair and ocean blue eyes that were fixed on a book, 'Magical Beasts and Where to Find Them'. At first, Harry wondered where he recognized her from before remembering Hannah Abbott mentioning an Aunt that had died in the first war when looking though pictures. As he thought about the picture he suddenly knew for sure that this was the girl Hannah had mentioned as being the only Gryffindor Abbott, the one who had died fighting Voldemort.

When Harry opened the compartment, all three heads looked up at him and Will's eyes brightened considerably as he looked up and he shouted, "Harry!"

"Hey Will." Harry laughed, "Ready for Hogwarts?"

Will nodded enthusiastically before turning to the other two girls. "Alice, Ellie, this is Harry Potter." He said before he turned to Harry, "Harry, this is Alice Smith and Elizabeth Abbott."

"It's Ellie." Ellie introduced, "Elizabeth is way too long, nice to meet you."

Harry nodded, "You too." He replied as he sat down next to Will. "So, what house do you guys want to be in?"

Will automatically responded Gryffindor and Harry wondered if the boy would get his wish, he could see him doing well in Hufflepuff. From the few months he knew him, Will was incredibly loyal and fair, however, Harry knew him to be brave also. Harry guessed he was like with Neville, the boy could go both ways as he had the traits of both houses.

"All my family's been in Hufflepuff." Alice said, looking down at the floor, "I'll probably go there."

Harry really wanted to roll his eyes at that because he knew Alice ended up in Gryffindor, but he realized that Alice must be related to Zacharias Smith somehow.

"My family's all been in Hufflepuff also." Ellie started with a confident voice, "I want to go to Gryffindor though. I think I would fit there much more. What about you?" She ended the last part with a question to Harry.

Harry grinned, "Well, James and Uncle Charlus were Gryffindor's but Aunt Dorea was a Slytherin. I want to go to Gryffindor though. I already know James there so it would be easier, I think."

Ellie's mouth dropped open, "Your Aunt and Uncle are a Gryffindor and Slytherin and they married?" She asked in a disbelieving voice. Harry nearly laughed out loud.

"Yep." He answered simply. He had also thought about how weird it was. A Gryffindor and Slytherin marrying wasn't something you heard often.

As they talked, Harry learned a lot about the girls. Alice was a lot more like Neville than just her looks. She loved Herbology and seemed to have slightly low self-esteem. She would do well in Hufflepuff but Harry knew where she was going and that was Gryffindor unless somehow things changed. Ellie, however, was almost the exact opposite of Alice. She was very confident and Harry had a feeling she would be good friends with Hagrid as she loved animals.

"So, how do they sort us?" Alice asked timidly looking at her lap.

Harry grinned, wondering if he should actually tell them how. He was about to answer when Ellie beat him to it, "A Sorting Hat. You put it on your head and it reads your mind."

"It's that easy?" Alice asked sighing in relief, "I thought we were going to do some test. I was afraid I would look stupid in front of everybody!"

Ellie chuckled, "Don't worry Alice. It'll be fine."

Alice smiled weakly and went back to staring at her lap.

"Magic is awesome!" Will exclaimed excitedly, "This is going to be great! We're going to learn how to use magic and make things float and open and make light!"

Harry grinned at his friend's excitement for magic. He remembered how excited he had been, although he was much less verbal with his excitement.

The door opened and there stood the Marauders, grinning like maniacs and Harry immediately knew that they had just pulled a prank on someone. "What'd you do?" Harry asked, a little upset as he remembered Snape's memories. His father had been a bully and he was hoping to change that. He knew that his father had grown up in his adult years and he hoped to make that happen earlier.

James had a mock hurt expression on his face, "Whatever do you mean?" He asked with a mock gasp. "I have done nothing."

Harry rolled his eyes, "Like I'll believe that." He replied, "Let me guess. You pulled a prank?" He raised his eyebrows as he looked at the Marauders. Sirius and James were both grinning while Remus had an amused look on his face and Peter looked nervous.

"Definitely," James said happily, without saying anything else. "Although, we really came to tell you that you should change into your robes." He looked over at the other two girls and his grin widened, "I see you boys got yourselves some girlfriends."

Harry rolled his eyes but on the inside his stomach was squirming. It was scary think about one of them getting together with Alice, as then Neville would never be born. Harry definitely didn't want to risk changing things like that. Neville had been his friend before the boy's death and he wanted to make sure all of his friends got to have the lives they should have had.

"Shut up, James." He replied. "We'll get our robes on. See you later." He said before walked up to the four boys, pushing them out, and closing the door before turning to the other three blushing eleven year olds.

* * *

Harry stepped off the train and into the swarm of students. Will, Alice, and Ellie were right behind him and he could practically feel Will's excitement, Alice's nervousness, and Ellie's mixture of both coming off of them as they walked to the booming voice that was calling for the first years. Harry's stomach was doing flip-flops as he saw the large figure of Hagrid.

He hadn't seen the half giant since that fateful day and Hagrid's bloodied body came into his memories. He could remember the Death Eaters shooting spell after spell, trying to penetrate the half giants thick skin until it had eventually been too much for him. Shaking the memories away, he continued on.

"Firs' years! Firs' years! Over here!" Hagrid was calling.

Harry grinned as he forced a different memory to go over the awful one, the memory of going to Hogwarts the first time.

They followed Hagrid down to the boats and climbed into them. The four new friends got into the same boat as they crossed the water. Will's excitement had dimmed just a tad but he put his fingers in the water as the crossed. Alice looked on, eyes wide with nervousness while Ellie just looked at the students around them with a smile.

And then Hogwarts come into view and all four were mesmerized by it, even Harry, though he had seen it before. All Harry could think about was how much more beautiful it looked compared to the last time he had seen it, damaged by the battle. A soft smile graced it lips, totally different than everyone else's looks of admiration and awe.

"It's beautiful." breathed Ellie, her eyes wide as she stared at the magnificent castle. "Just like Michael said."

They finally made it across the lake and stepped out of their boats. Most of the first years had nervous looks etched upon their faces as they walked up to the tall wooden doors with Hagrid. His knock echoed across the lake before the doors opened and there stood Professor McGonagall, tall and stern.

"Thank you, Hagrid. I will take them from here." McGonagall stated as she ushered the first years inside the large castle.

They followed Professor McGonagall across the flagged stone floor. Harry could hear the drone of hundreds of voices from a doorway to the right where the Great Hall was, but Professor McGonagall showed the first years into a small, empty chamber off the hall. The first years crowded in, peering around in nervousness and excitement.

"The four houses are called Gryffindor, Slytherin, Ravenclaw, and Hufflepuff. Each house has its own noble history and each has produced outstanding witches and wizards. While you are at Hogwarts, your triumphs will earn your house points, while any rule breaking will lose house points. At the end of the year, the house with the most points is awarded the house cup, a great honor. I hope each of you will be a credit to whichever house becomes yours and not rule breaking mischief makers like a few students we have. The Sorting Ceremony will take place in a few minutes in front of the rest of the school. I suggest you get yourselves ready."

A small smile appeared on Harry's face. Another thing that he hoped to change was the Marauders hatred of all Slytherins with the exception of Andromeda and Dorea. Many Slytherins had been on the light side such as Snape and Slughorn and several Slytherin students had come back to fight alongside the Light.

He heard Alice and Ellie whispering to each other beside him.

"Are you sure it's just a hat?" Alice was whispering to Ellie who reassured her quickly.

"Positive. It's just a tattered old hat that you put on your head and it reads your mind and decides where you go," Ellie replied, "And don't worry. We'll still be friends no matter where we go."

Alice sighed in relief, "Thanks Ellie," she breathed.

Will was bouncing excitedly beside Harry, his blue eyes studying the small room they were in. "We're at Hogwarts." He squeaked excitedly to Harry, "We're finally here!"

Harry smiled and nodded, "Yes, we are," he answered, but he couldn't say anything else because right at that moment McGonagall had returned.

"Form a line and follow me." McGonagall spoke and the first years quickly got into a line behind her.

The large doors that lead to the Great Hall opened and Harry was met with a sight that brought back many memories. The four tables were in the same place as they were when he first came to Hogwarts and students, years 2-7, were seated there. Harry spotted the Marauders sitting together near Lily Evans, who looked like she wished they wouldn't. Harry's heart nearly stopped as he saw his mother for the first time in this timeline, finally really seeing her alive and in front of him.

He saw Dumbledore at the Staff Table and the memory of his death came to his mind. Other teacher's sitting their reminded Harry of their deaths as well and he frowned, trying desperately to push the overwhelming memories away. He needed to look like a regular first year, not have a nervous breakdown. The hat began to sing but Harry didn't listen. All he was focused on was trying to get the memories of the deaths of the people in the Hall out of his mind.

Professor McGonagall stepped forward holding a long roll of parchment and Harry finally managed to get most of the memories to leave so he could listen to the sorting.

"When I call your name, you will put on the hat and sit on the stool to be sorted," she said. "Abbott, Elizabeth."

Ellie suddenly didn't look as confident as before as she shuffled up to the hat. Sitting on the stool, the hat was lowered onto her head and a few seconds later called, "Gryffindor."

Applause erupted at the Gryffindor table and Harry saw a man whom he recognized as Hannah Abbott's father looking crestfallen at the Hufflepuff table. Ellie, however, looked like Christmas had come early as she practically ran to the Gryffindor table and sat beside Sirius who gave her a high five.

"Anderson, William."

Will excitedly ran to stool and it took a much longer time than Ellie. Will's face showed desperation by the end before it shouted, "Gryffindor," as well and Will beamed as he ran to sit beside Ellie.

The names continued, "Baker," "Bones," "Brakes," "Brown."

When Crouch, Barty was called up, Harry stiffened – and even more so when Crabbe, Vincent, the father of the Vincent Crabbe he had known was sorted into Slytherin. He hadn't expected to have them in his year.

More names were called until they finally got to "Potter, Harry,"

As he walked up, he noticed the staff stiffen slightly and he laughed inwardly, thinking of what James must have done. However, other than that, he was just another student. On the outside at least.

The hat was placed on his head and he heard the Sorting Hat speak into his mind.

_"Hmm... I see I've sorted you before. Oh, in the future? Time Traveler, eh? I've never had one of those."_

'Please don't tell.' Harry begged, 'No one can know.'

_"Your secret's safe with me. Now, this is a very cunning plan. You would do well in Slytherin. Loyal also, Hufflepuff would be good. Not a bad mind, Maybe Ravenclaw? A heart of a Lion, Gryffindor would be glad to have you. Now, where to put you? I've never sorted someone this hard. You would do well anywhere. I see you have friends in Gryffindor. A father too. Or is it a cousin? That's where you were before, also. Gryffindor?"_

'Please Gryffindor.' Harry thought, 'I need to be in Gryffindor,'

_"Yes, I see. Gryffindor will get you the farthest in your plan. Alright then, better be, Gryffindor!"_

He shouted the last word out for everyone to hear and the Gryffindor table erupted into applause, especially the Marauders, Will, and Ellie. He walked over to the Gryffindor table and sat by James and across from Ellie and James high-fived him with a huge smile.

"I knew you'd make it here!" James said happily and Harry grinned back before looking at the other Gryffindor's.

Lily looked annoyed, probably at the idea of their being another Potter. Sirius, Remus, and James were grinning like maniacs while Peter continued to look nervous and eye Harry. Harry knew that Peter didn't really like him but he didn't know why. Frank Longbottom was talking to some other students and he recognized one as Marlene McKinnon.

He was so busy studying the other Gryffindor's that he missed the rest of the sorting until he heard, "Smith, Alice."

The dark haired girl shuffled to the stool and the hat was placed on her head. After a few minutes, it finally shouted, "Gryffindor,"

Harry, Ellie, and Will cheered as Alice came over to their table with a grin on her face as she sat beside Harry. "Congratulations!" Harry said happily.

Alice smiled widely, "The Sorting Hat was debating over Hufflepuff or Gryffindor but It finally settled on Gryffindor."

"Me too," Will said, "It said I would do well in Hufflepuff but Gryffindor was my house."

Harry smiled at them, "It said I could do well in any house, but I asked for Gryffindor too."

* * *

**AN: I hope you liked this chapter! They're at Hogwarts now! Yay!**


	6. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: If I owned Harry Potter, I would not be sharing a room with my three siblings in my grandparent's house.**

* * *

Harry woke up with a start, a mixture of nightmares and shouting had awakened him and he frantically opened his curtain to see what the fuss was all about. His new roommates Rory Chase and Vance Williams were having a shouting match only a few feet from his bed.

"I didn't do it!" Vance yelled, "They were like that when I woke up!"

Rory was red in the face, clearly upset and angry, "If you didn't do it, who did? My robes didn't turn pink by themselves." He pointed frantically at stack of pink robes by his bed. "Fix it!"

"I told you, I didn't do it! I don't even know the spell to turn them pink. We haven't had a class yet!"

Harry, who now understood what was going on, groaned. He could vaguely remember Sirius telling him of a prank they had set on a first year that turned his robes pink and he sighed. He really needed to teach them not to bully anyone, much less first years.

"Calm down." Harry interrupted Rory mid-sentence. "It was probably my cousin and his friends, they like to prank people. I'll go get them to change it back."

Rory deflated and looked at his feet sheepishly. "Thank you." He said to Harry before turning to Vance, "I'm sorry." He said, looking embarrassed.

Vance gave him a small smile, "It's okay. I can see why you would think it was me. I was the only person awake."

Rory gave a nod and Harry quickly got dressed and walked out of the room. It was time to give the Marauders a lecture on not pranking first years who didn't know how to reverse the pranks. With a sigh, he knocked loudly on the door. He didn't know if they had done it last night or if they had gotten up early and he wanted to wake them.

A few minutes later, the door opened and a sleepy Remus opened the door. "Hey Harry." He yawned, "Need anything?"

Harry nodded, "Did you guy's turn a first year's robe's pink?" He asked bluntly, "Because if you did, you need to fix it. I just woke up to lots of shouting and I didn't really appreciate it."

Remus looked sheepish in his sleepy state, "Oh, yeah. James and Sirius found the spell in one of their text books." With another yawn, he pulled a pillow off his bed and threw it at James, "Oi! James! Get up."

"Wha..." James said sleepily, "Remus, throwing pillows at people is frowned upon."

Harry rolled his eyes, "James, you need to fix Rory's robes. Pranking first years who can't reverse it is frowned upon too."

"Mmhmm." James hummed, "Sure Harry." He turned onto his other side and promptly fell back asleep.

Harry sighed and walked into the room, heading towards James' bed. Frustrated, he shook the boy's shoulder, "James, you need to wake up."

James mumbled something in his sleep and Harry shook his head, "Okay, I'll just find the spell and try it and probably blow something up." He said, hoping to play on the protectiveness James had already begun to show.

All James did was say, "You do that." before rolling over.

Harry took a breath, thought for a moment, and shouted, "James! Breakfast ends in two minutes!"

James shot up in bed at that, "What! Why didn't you tell me?" He whined, jumping up and running to his trunk.

Harry rolled his eyes, "I lied." He answered, "Now go fix Rory's robes."

James sighed, grumbled something about annoying cousins, and got out of bed. "Fine." He sighed. He turned towards Harry, "You're annoying, you know that."

He just smirked at him and pulled him, still in his pajamas, into the first year's room. "James, fix his robes." Harry demanded, handing the pink robes to the twelve year old, who sighed dramatically and undid the spell.

"Thank you." Rory said with a small glare, "Please don't do this again."

James started to grin but Harry elbowed him and sent him a look. He sighed and replied, "Okay, we won't turn your clothes pink again." Under his breath, he continued, "Maybe orange." which earned him another elbow from Harry.

Harry dragged him out of the room and back into the Marauders room where he prepared to give all four boys a lecture. "Guys, pranking is one thing, bullying is another." He said as he walked into the room. Frank Longbottom, the only other second year Gryffindor frowned but didn't say anything.

"We're not bullies." Sirius, whom had woken up since James had left, defended.

Harry shot him a look, "Changing a first year's robes pink, knowing he doesn't know how to fix it and could be made fun of because of it, is bullying." He replied, "Therefore, you're being bullies."

"It was just a prank." James said, "We didn't hurt him or anything."

Harry sighed, "Yes, but you did cause a shouting match in our room that could have caused boys that could become friends to hate each other."

James frowned, "That's their problem, then."

Harry groaned, "Look, stop this bullying or else." He said ominously before walking out of the room and back to his room.

* * *

Harry sat at in the Great Hall with Will, Alice, and Ellie. He was glad that he had a group of friends now but he couldn't help but feel like he was betraying Hermoine and Ron. It didn't help that he also knew that Ellie was going to die and Alice was going to be tortured into insanity if he didn't change things – and he had no idea what had happened to Will.

"What class do we have first?" Will asked excitedly, bouncing in his seat as McGonagall passed out the schedules.

Ellie looked at hers, "Um, Transfiguration with the Hufflepuffs." She answered. "I heard Professor McGonagall is a great teacher."

"We have Herbology afterwards!" Alice said happily.

Harry smiled slightly as he looked through his schedule, Transfiguration, Herbology, History of Magic and then Potions for the day. He wondered how different the classes would be in this time.

"We should go now." Ellie said suddenly, "We'll need time to find the classroom."

The other three nodded, having already finished their breakfast and stood up. Harry, even though he knew how to get there, knew he had to pretend he didn't and just followed them. It took fifteen minutes, but they finally found the classroom with time to spare. As he sat down, Harry inwardly smiled at the memories of his previous Transfiguration lessons.

He spotted McGonagall sitting on her desk as a cat and had to hide his smirk. After the whole class came in, McGonagall jumped off her desk and turned back into a human, causing many students to gasp in shock or cheer. Harry made a mental note that he had found yet another thing he wanted to learn to do, become an animagus.

"Wicked." Breathed Will as he stared wide eyed at McGonagall and Ellie and Alice nodded in agreement.

"Transfiguration is some of the most complex and dangerous magic you will learn at Hogwarts," McGonagall said. "Anyone messing around in my class will leave and not come back. You have been warned." She finished before turning around and changing her desk into a pig and back again, causing students to goggle at her. "You will not learn to do that for a very long time." She responded when Vance asked when they would learn it.

She then set them onto writing a lot of notes, which Harry found useless since he already knew it all but took them anyway. Afterwards, she have them each a match.

"I want you to change this match into a needle." She instructed showing and explaining to them how they were supposed to do it.

Harry concentrated on not changing his so fast because he didn't want to draw suspicions. He managed to go a few times without doing anything and started to work his way into it, making it pointy, then silver before he finally allowed himself to change it into a full needle, which impressed Professor McGonagall.

"I'm impressed, Mr. Potter." She said with a smile as she examined the needle, "I've never had a student fully transform their needle on the first day. You will do well in this subject. I just hope you don't waste it on silly pranks." Harry knew she was talking about James and he smiled back at her and took his needle back before turning to Will to help him.

Will hadn't done anything to his needle and was starting to get frustrated as he repeated the words over and over again.

"Will, focus. Go slower and pronounce the words better." Harry said and Will did as he was told, but still nothing happened. "Now, try to push your magic out and imagine the match as a needle." Harry added.

Will took a deep breath and pronounced the Latin words. A minute later, his match had turned silver. Will beamed at the change and continued. Although, he didn't manage to finish it before class ended, Harry thought he did really well.

Herbology was next and Harry found it very boring. They didn't do anything practical until second year and Harry already knew everything they were taught, but he allowed Alice to answer the questions that Sprout asked.

At lunch, they sat as a group and began to discuss their day, "So far, this is great!" Will exclaimed as he piled food onto his plate. "I nearly changed my match into a needle and I learned a lot about Magical plants!"

Alice nodded at Will, "Herbology is amazing." She gushed, "I can't wait until we start practical work. There's so many different kinds of plants!"

Harry laughed inwardly as his friends gushed about the two subjects they had attended so far. He watched the Marauders come in, looking sleepy but happy before they sat right next to Harry and his friends and piled food onto their plates.

"Where'd you firstie's just come from?" Sirius asked, his face full of food. Ellie looked disgusted but didn't say anything about it as she eyed him.

"Herbology." Alice happily stated, "It's amazing. What about you?"

Remus smiled, "History of Magic." He said.

"We have that next." Will said excitedly, "Is it fun?"

James laughed, "Fun? History of Magic is taught by Binns; the most boring ghost in all of Hogwarts. We use it to plan pranks." He said proudly.

Will frowned, "It seems like such a cool subject." He said dejectedly. "What other classes have you had? We had Transfiguration. It was awesome! We had to transform a match into a needle and I nearly did it! It was silver and pointy but it was still a match. I got five points for Gryffindor though!"

Peter looked shocked, "Y-You made a difference on the first d-day?" he stuttered.

He nodded happily, "Harry helped me. He changed his into a perfect needle. McGonagall gave him twenty points because she said she'd never seen someone fully change it on the first day."

"Wow." Breathed James, staring at Harry, "That's awesome. Even I didn't fully change it on the first day. I think I did it at the end of the second day or the beginning of the third."

Harry blushed red at the praise. "Thanks." He mumbled as he stared at his food as he enjoyed the feeling of being praised by his father.

History of Magic was as boring as ever so Harry simply pulled out his textbook and read. He had never paid any attention to the subject and never bothered really to read the book so he was surprised when it was actually interesting and Will, Alice, and Ellie followed Harry's lead.

When they finally got to Potions, Harry was glad to see Slughorn there instead of Snape. While Snape might have turned out to be on their side, he was a horrible teacher.

Harry found out that Neville got his Potion's skills from Alice. Ellie also seemed to be horrible at the subject while Will was about average. The potion, which Harry knew was a lot easier than what Snape had set them, was supposed to turn blue. Harry's and Will's turned the correct shade, though Harry knew they had an advantage because he had already brewed it before. Ellie and Alice's potion, however, had turned an ugly brown color.

By the end of the day, Harry was so exhausted that he didn't even have any nightmares.

* * *

Most of the school thought Harry was a prodigy in magic. He was always the first one to get things down and remember the things they had learned. While he felt guilty that it was because he had already learned everything, he liked the praise. He never got any at the Dursley's and not much at Hogwarts the first time around with the exception of the praise he had receive for his Patronus.

The Marauders were still pranking but they hadn't done anything that crossed a line. Harry assumed that things hadn't been as bad while they were still young. He was determined to make sure they never got anywhere near as far as what they had done to Snape in their fifth year.

As for Snape, Harry had already had his first encounter with the Slytherin and he knew instantly that Snape still didn't like him at all. It had been an accident that they "met" and it wasn't on the best of terms. Harry was determined to try to find a way to change the other boy's opinion of him.

He had been looking for Will whom he had lost somewhere in the castle when he accidently bumped into the Slytherin.

"Potter!" Snape had roared as his things fell to the ground. A few unpleasant memories from Potions had come forward but Harry ignored them. Snape had stared at Harry, "Potter Junior, actually." He corrected himself with a sneer.

Harry had apologized and tried to help the Slytherin pick up his belongings but the boy had snapped, "Don't touch it." Before picking them up himself. "Don't mess with my stuff." He said firmly as he stood back up and glared at Harry before storming away.

Harry hadn't spoken to Lily yet and honestly, he was afraid too. Lily hadn't liked the Marauders until their seventh year and Harry was afraid she wouldn't like him either. He wasn't sure he could handle knowing that his mother hated him.

Flying Lessons started on that Friday and Harry was itching to get back on a broom. He was almost bouncing with excitement, though not as much as Will, who was also nervous – along with Alice - thinking he was going to be awful. Ellie, however, was confident that she would do well.

As they walked to the Quidditch pitch for the first flying lessons, Will's excitement had dimmed dramatically as he saw the booms. He seemed almost as nervous as Alice as he glanced at the brooms warily.

"Well, what are you all waiting for?" Madam Hooch barked as she walked up. "Everyone stand by a broomstick. Come on, hurry up."

Harry glanced down at his broomstick and felt a longing for his old Firebolt. He had lost it and knew he wouldn't be able to get one again for many years. They didn't even make Firebolts in his new time.

"Stick out your right hand over your broom," called Madam Hooch at the front, "and say 'Up!'"

"UP" Harry shouted, his broom jumping into his hand at once as Harry grinned. Ellie's had also come up quickly as she beamed over at Harry. William wasn't having such luck as he stuttered as he said the word but after a while everyone had there brooms in the air, Will and Alice being some of the last.

Hooch showed them how to grip their brooms and walked around correcting them many of them but smiled at Harry's perfect grip. Will started to shake with nervousness as they continued along and Harry attempted to shoot him an encouraging look.

"Now, when I blow my whistle, you kick off from the ground, hard." Madam Hooch ordered. "Keep your brooms steady, rise a few feet, and then come straight back down by leaning forward slightly. On my whistle - three - two- one."

They rose a few feet like she said, even Will managed to rise, although his broom was wobbly. They continued on like this for a while, repeating the action. Harry wanted to go ahead and start flying but he knew he couldn't. They started to rise higher and higher, never going higher than ten feet and he reminded himself to be patient.

"Alright, rise ten feet and slowly turn your broom in a circle." Hooch said. The students slowly followed her directions, Will's broom, however, shot upwards as he turned and flew quickly into the air with Will screaming the whole way. He was nearly thirty feet in the air before he managed to stop the broom as he looked at the ground in horror, eyes wide with fear.

"Come back, boy!" she shouted. Will, however, had no idea how as he screamed in fright. Harry, knowing something bad could happen to his friend if he fell from that height, shot up after him.

"Mr. Potter!" Screeched Hooch, but he ignored her. All that mattered then was getting Will to the ground safely.

He looked at the frightened boy. "Go down slowly." He ordered firmly. "Lean forward slightly, just like earlier."

It had to be something with Will's broom, however, because he followed Harry's instructions but the broom started to shoot into a dive that Harry knew that Will wouldn't be able to pull out of. Harry went into his own dive, trying desperately to get Will's broom to stop, not even paying attention to his own dive as he tried to save his friend and other student's screamed. He didn't remember to pull out of the dive until it was too late. The two boy's hit the ground with slam and a crack as the broom's snapped in half, pain erupted through Harry's body and he lost consciousness.

* * *

**AN: I hope you like this chapter! Well, I got to the Flying lessons! That scene is very important for some character development. Well, technically the aftermath is.**

**Constructive Criticism is greatly appreciated.**


	7. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. I only own Will and Ellie.**

* * *

Harry woke up to arguing voices around the soft bed he was lying on. Familiar voices. He could clearly recognize James, Remus, Sirius, Alice, and Ellie and another quiet voice that sounded suspiciously like Will. However, Will sounded very distraught and farther away from him. Where was he?

Slowly, his memories of the flying lesson came back. He had crashed and was most likely in the Hospital Wing. He mentally berated himself for not pulling out of that dive. He had pulled out of much harder ones before but he had been so focused on trying to save Will that he hadn't even realized how close to the ground they were.

He pulled his focus onto the voices that surrounded him.

"He broke him!" A male voice said to his right. Harry recognized the voice as James' and was amused by how he said that, but wondered what he was talking about.

"I didn't mean to break him." Will stated in a soft voice.

Remus said, "James. Will didn't break Harry. The broom broke Harry. Or you could even say that Harry broke himself. Or Gravity."

"He still broke him." James grumbled.

Harry mentally sighed, James could be so stubborn sometimes.

"It wasn't that bad." Ellie exclaimed, sounding annoyed.

"He had a concussion and a broken arm. He is _broken_!" James stressed.

Alice giggled a little, "Madam Pomfrey healed him up quickly. He's not 'broken' anymore."

"He's been asleep for hours. When's he going to wake up?" Sirius groaned.

Remus sighed, "Sirius. It's been ten minutes." Harry couldn't help but think he must have healed fairly quickly if he was already waking up.

"Peter already fell asleep." Grumbled Sirius.

Harry didn't like knowing that Peter was by his bed while he was still half out of it. If he was in his regular time, he would stun him and call Aurors.

"Peter always falls asleep." Remus replied with a slightly annoyed tone to his voice.

Harry slowly opened his eyes and spotted Peter asleep on a chair. Will was on the bed next to him with Alice next to him and James, Remus, Sirius, and Ellie sat by Harry.

"Harry!" Shrieked Ellie when she saw him open his eyes cause everyone's heads to snap over to Harry.

"Um... Hi?" Harry said awkwardly, not knowing what else to say under the stares of his friends.

It was silent for a moment before James exclaimed, "Harry! He broke you." He pointed an accusing finger at the brown haired boy lying in the other bed. Harry snorted and rolled his eyes.

"James, really?" He said with a grin, "He didn't break me. Gravity broke me."

Remus laughed softly and turned to James, "See, he agrees with me."

James grumbled before saying, "What possessed you to do something so stupid, Harry? You could have been hurt worse or killed or something. You don't know how to ride a broom yet!"

Harry shrugged and looked at his sheets, "I had to help Will." He replied softly, "I couldn't just stand there and do nothing. I had to do something to help him."

"You did pretty good." Ellie said, smiling. "Everyone was talking about how you flew like a natural. Some students think that you could have pulled out of that dive if you weren't helping Will." She turned her head to James and glared at him, "So let's stop blaming people."

James harrumphed and crossed his arms, glaring right back at Ellie. It was obvious that he was still going to hold a grudge against Will for his part in Harry getting hurt.

Will spoke up softly, "I'm really sorry, Harry."

Harry gave a small grin. He was still happy that he had been on his broom again even though he had gotten hurt. "It's fine, Will. It was my choice to help you. It's not that bad, anyway."

Will sighed in relief and gave his friend a small smile, "Thanks Harry." He said.

Footsteps gained Harry's attention and he looked over to see Madam Pomfrey walking over with an annoyed look on her face. "Out, out." She said, "My patients need rest."

"Come on, Madam Pomfrey. I'm his brother." James pouted, "Can I please stay."

Madam Pomfrey looked like she was going to protest but instead she just sighed, "Fine, _you_ can stay. All the rest of you, out!"

The twelve year old smiled at Madam Pomfrey and shook Peter awake. "Wake up, Pete."

After a while of shaking Peter awake, and sending the others away, they left.

"I'm going to check you for any other injuries. I've heard what happened at your first orphanage and apparently only muggles were involved in treating you.." Madam Pomfrey stated as she ran her wand over Harry. A piece of parchment appeared in front of her and she frowned and stared intently at Harry before casting other spells at him.

Another piece of parchment appeared in front of her and started to grow longer and longe. Madam Pomfrey's frown deepened with every second as she read the words off the parchment.

When it finally ended, she was slightly pale and wearing a deep frown as she pierced her eyes into Harry for a moment before rushing off to the back room. Harry exchanged a puzzled look with James who was just as confused as Harry. A few minutes later, Madam Pomfrey came back with many different potions.

"Um, Madam Pomfrey?" Harry asked as the matron handed him a potion.

"Drink." She ordered. "This should repair nerve damage. You've been under the Cruciatus Curse multiple times and haven't had any treatment. I'm guessing this occured when the orphanage you were in was attacked by Death Eaters?"

Harry just nodded mutely, knowing he was lying. It was Death Eaters but it wasn't at an orphanage. He downed the disgusting potion and felt a tingling sensation through his body a moment later.

Another potion was handed to him, "A nutrient potion." She informed him as he downed it, "You will need to drink this every day for three months. I'm afraid you may never be as tall as you could have been as your growth was stunted." She added sadly, but Harry already knew this and didn't really care. He'd always been small for his age.

A few more potions later and James was also frowning deeply and looking a little pale. "Mr. Potter." Madam Ponfrey regarded Harry, "I have a few questions to ask you about certain injuries."

Harry paled. While the scars on his hands from the blood quill was gone thanks to Fawkes, there were other injuries that he had no explanation for.

"You have a puncture wound on you right arm. Would you care to tell me where you go this from?"

_The basilisk in my second year._ Harry thought but he couldn't say that. He really needed to get rid of that snake. "I don't know." He answered quietly, hoping to sound truthful and make them think that maybe it happened when he was a baby.

Madam Pomfrey frowned, "You also have a long burn on your arm. Where did that come from?"

_The dragon in my fourth year._ "The fire."

Nodding thoughtfully, she asked her next question, looking more concerned than before "Can you tell me how you received the lacerations across your back?"

_Uncle Vernon's belt. _However, for that, he just answered, "Belt." As he looked down at the ground. He hated that she had discovered his abuse and wondered how it had never come out the first time around.

It went on like that for several more minutes as Harry either answered something similar to the truth or just said that he didn't know. Finally, the matron said, "You have an appointment with me next Monday to re-break a few bones and heal them. You have many old injuries that did not heal correctly."

Harry nodded, thankful she wouldn't continue questions. James, however wasn't going to let Harry let it go and continued the questions when Madam Pomfrey went to check on Will.

"Where did you get those injuries?" James demanded as Harry leaned back against his pillow with a sigh.

His brain furiously worked through his embarrassment to figure out an excuse before giving up. "The other orphanage." He lied, hoping he sounded truthful. He was surprised that his voice didn't shake.

James growled, "Those monsters." He hissed, "They better be glad that I don't know who they are."

Harry winced, knowing those people were likely innocent. "They're dead." He said, though he really had no idea if they were or not. He didn't need James going out for revenge on likely innocent orphanage workers.

The twelve year old shrugged, "Forgot about that." He mumbled. "They better be glad they're dead."

Harry sunk into his pillow, sighing in defeat. He knew he couldn't change James' minds on the orphanage workers and felt extremely guilty for changing everyone's views on them. He could only be thankful they were probably dead so no one could do anything to them.

James sat down on Harry's bed and exclaimed, "I'll never let anyone hurt you again." He said, "Or break you." He added loudly enough for Will to hear,

Harry rolled his eyes and grinned at James. "It wasn't Will's fault." He replied. "Blame gravity."

"Oh, fine. When do you get out of here?" James wondered out loud before turning to Madam Pomfrey who was tending to a patient whose arms were burned from a potion explosion. "Hey, Madam Pomfrey. When does Harry get out of here?"

Without turning from her patient, she replied, "I want him here over night just to make sure."

James nodded, "Got it." He called back before turning to Harry, "Sorry little bro. You're stuck here for the entire night. I'll see if I can get a bed for the night also." He said as though Harry hadn't heard.

"This is not a motel, Mr. Potter." Madam Pomfrey called, "You will go back to your common room before curfew." She ordered sternly, turning away from her patient whose arms were healed and crossing her arms, glaring at James. "I will not have you breaking school rules."

Smiling sheepishly, James replied, "Sorry," to the matron before turning back to Harry who was snickering quietly. "Looks like I won't be able to stay here."

"Why'd you call me 'little bro'?" Harry asked. It felt weird to have his father call him brother and it also provided a good excuse to change the subject.

"Well, you're going to be living with me like a brother. I might as well call you one. Even if you are technically my cousin." James picked up his bag and pulled out some parchment. "Well, if I'm going to be stuck here, I should at least do my homework." He handed some other parchment to Harry, "Alice brought yours."

Harry nodded and began his homework, starting with Potions. 'Write a three foot essay on the basics on potions and its origins.' He couldn't help but wonder why Snape never assigned them something like this. It made potions a whole lot easier to understand them more.

'Potions were created somewhere around 300 BC by Wizards and Witches who wanted a way to heal their sick and ones poor in health. After many different failed attempts, the Witches and Wizards of that point in time eventually settled on their new type of magic, Potions, which even squibs could brew. They based the method on cooking, boiling their ingredients in a 'pot' or cauldron.

'Potions were slowly transformed by powerful Witches and Wizards through the years and to what we have today. More ideas popped up around the Wizarding World for uses for Potions. Luck, truth, and disguises were just a few of these...'

James looked over at Harry's work and his eyes widened slightly. "How do you remember that stuff? I don't even remember it and I've been at school a year longer than you."

"Eleventy-four." Harry said quickly, stating the first thing that came to his mind before mentally cursing himself for saying that. Why did he have to make himself seem so stupid?

"What?" James asked, puzzled before starting to laugh a few seconds later, completely forgetting the first question. "Eleventy-four." He repeated, "I'm not even going to ask where you got that one."

Harry grinned, relieved that he wasn't going to ask anything else. He already knew all of this stuff from past experiences and extra reading so it came naturally, even if no one could know that.

* * *

Harry was released from the Hospital Wing the next day. After a night of nightmares, ending with Madam Pomfrey giving him dreamless sleep potion, Harry was relieved to get out. The day before had resurfaced old memories from the Dursley's and other memories from his Hogwarts years that he would rather not think about.

He decided to hang out in the Common Room for a while and go over his whole situation. Madam Pomfrey had found his old scars and injuries from the Dursley's and now thought another orphanage that Harry had actually never been to was responsible, James was now going to be even worse with his protectiveness and Harry would probably not get any privacy for a long time, a horcrux was there in the castle with him and he had no idea how to get it out. On top of it all, he hadn't even spoken to Lily and Snape still hated him, like always. He did have three new friends, one being Neville's mother, but he still couldn't tell anyone that he had gone back in time and had to lie about his entire past as he carried the weight of the Wizarding World on his shoulder.

Sometimes he wondered why he had even go back? He had already defeated Voldemort. He could have started a new life in the Muggle world or even just staying with Arthur, Charlie, and George. He should've just left fate and time alone, but no, he had gone ahead and headed back to his parents era and everything was so complicated and difficult. While the classes he took were really easy, he had so much he needed to do. Somehow destroy all the horcruxes, save everyone's lives, make sure Regulus and Snape didn't become Death-Eaters, defeat Voldemort, and fix all the other things that needed to change.

Harry put his head in his hands and groaned softly. How was it that this didn't really hit him until now? He had been in the past for months and yet he never really thought about it. He had a month to get used to the idea of being in the past and a few months to get used to being with James, Dorea, and Charlus. Now, however, school had started and he finally realized all the things he had to do.

Voldemort was out there. He had to defeat the dark wizard for a second time. How many wizards can say they have to defeat a Dark Wizard twice? And technically, it was three times if you count the time when he was a baby.

"Harry?" Alice's soft voice broke him from his thoughts and he looked up to see his friend standing there with a concerned look on her face, "Are you alright? You look kind of sick."

Harry smiled softly at her, "I'm fine." He lied through his teeth. He most definitely was not fine. His situation seemed impossible and unreal. He hadn't been born and yet, here he was, growing up as a brother/cousin to his father. Yet another thing that made him different from everyone else.

"I can get James if you want." Alice spoke, "Maybe you should go back to the infirmary.

Harry shook his head, "No, I'm fine. Just tired." And frustrated, and overwhelmed, and scared. Although, he wasn't going to say that.

"Okay, it's almost lunch time. You should come eat something."

Harry smiled softly at her, "I'll be there in a minute." He told her, sighing as she left the Common Room. Pulling his legs to his chest, he stared into the fire. A single tear slipped out of his eyes as he thought about life before all this. All his friends and family were dead before he went back in time. Each death that he remembered brought another pang to his heart. Sirius, Dumbledore, Remus, Fred, Luna, Hermoine, Ron, Neville, Ginny, and even Draco; His childhood enemy. Most of those people weren't even born yet and the three that had been were so different in this time.

Thinking of them reminded him why he had gone back in time. If he had a chance to save all his friends and family and end the war early and he didn't take it, what kind of person would he be? How could he have ever looked the remaining Weasley's or anyone else in the eye, knowing he had a chance to save their friends and family and didn't take it? They might never be the people he had known, but at least they would be alive.

He was going to make sure they all survived, even though he had no idea what happened to Will or when Ellie had died. He would make sure they were all okay in the end, no matter what. Even if it caused him his own life. He would protect them.

Pulling out his wand, he went over a few spells to try and get his mind off things. He repeated simple spells like Lumos and Alohomora. He could have done more but he didn't want to risk someone walking in. He had just started on Wingardium Leviosa, making random things float up and down and he was making a book float up when the Portrait slammed open and a frantic James ran in, pausing when he saw Harry ad sighing in relief. The book Harry was charming stopped in midair and he remembered that he was supposed to have gone to lunch.

"Harry!" Shouted James as he rushed up to Harry, "Do you know how worried I was. I nearly sent out a search party for you!"

Harry shrugged sheepishly, "I was just in here." He muttered as he slowly dropped the book so it landed on the couch. "Forgot about lunch."

James sighed and sat next to Harry on the couch. "You okay, Little bro?" He asked softly.

Nodding, Harry replied, "I'm fine."

James didn't interrogate Harry and he was relieved. He couldn't tell him that the reason he was upset was because he had to save the Wizarding World and everyone in it and he was too upset to think of a good excuse.

James patted Harry's shoulder, "That was some good spellwork." He informed Harry, "I don't think I could do that on the first week of school. You must be practicing a lot."

Nodding, Harry knew it was true. He'd had a lot of practice with a lot more spells.

"Thanks." He replied softly as he smiled at the other boy.

"Well, come on." James spoke, "Let's go eat."

* * *

**AN: New chapter! I hope you like it! So, the flying lesson has brought up the abuse and James' protectiveness of Harry and making Harry start to really realize what he has to do. That is the development...**


	8. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter! I only own Will and Ellie and a few other background characters in my story.**

* * *

Harry sat by the window in their dorm a few days later as he read a book on Animagus. It was the night of the full moon and that had reminded Harry of something he wanted to do - become an Animagus so he could keep Remus company on the full moons just like James, Sirius, and Peter would do in a few years. He knew it would also help with the War as it would be a lot easier to go around as an animal instead of a human.

_'To find your form you need to meditate. Don't think of anything. Just let your mind go free and see where you end up. Are you in a field? Are you soaring through the skies? This should help you find out what animal you are. Next..._

Harry broke off reading when he heard a howl in the distance. Wincing, he couldn't help but think of Remus' transformation he had seen in in his third year. It looked like it hurt a lot and he wished there was a way to help his friend.

He closed the book and sighed. It would take a long time before he could become an Animagus so he could accompany the werewolf on his transformations as it was complicated magic. It had taken the Marauders two years to become, so Harry hoped he could become one by third year, though he wondered if since he was technically 18, he could become one faster. He didn't know how much being in the body of an eleven year old would change it.

Following the instructions in the book, Harry started to try and find his animal form. All he knew was he was flying. He could feel the wind through feathers that covered him as he flew through the sky and then he was back into the dorm. So he was some type of bird. That certainly helped, it narrowed things down a lot.

He put the book into his bag and climbed into bed. He was already going to bed late and he didn't want to worry James again. The boy was worried if Harry wasn't at a meal when he got there. He was paranoid.

Although, Harry guessed he had a reason. He'd been avoiding his friends lately. He felt so overwhelmed that he was afraid that they would notice. There was also the fact that everytime he saw any of his friends, he couldn't help but remember their fates or the fact that he didn't know what happened to them and how to save them, so he had been hiding out in the library or his dorm. He felt guilty that he was worrying James but it was all he could think of to do.

His nightmares had gotten worse and he hadn't been sleeping well. Ever since Madam Pomfrey had discovered his old scars and injuries, old memories that he had buried had come back again and his nightmares of his Voldemort and his friends dying now had old memories of Uncle Vernon alongside of them.

Harry's eyes closed and he fell asleep.

* * *

Harry woke up extra early the next day so he could visit Remus in the Hospital Wing. Technically his nightmares had woken him up like they usually did but that didn't matter as he had planned to get up to visit his friend anyway. Remus was one of the easiest ones to talk to as Harry was almost certain he could prevent his death and he hated to know how much the other boy was suffering. Will was still fast asleep in the bed beside Harry when he left and he didn't bother waking him as he headed down to visit Remus.

When he arrived, he found Remus sitting up in his bed with a book in his hands. He didn't look at all like he had been a werewolf the night before. Madam Pomfrey had clearly done a good job.

"Hey Remus." He greeted as he walked in. Remus looked up with a start but smiled when he saw Harry.

"Morning Harry." He answered, "You're up early." He said, looking confused as to why his friend was there.

Harrys at down next to Remus and sat his bag on the ground. He had classes later and he didn't know if he'd have time after breakfast to go get his stuff so he brought it with him. He shrugged. "I'm an early bird. You doing okay?"

Remus frowned, "Yeah, I'm fine. I just didn't feel so good last night."

Harry nodded, knowing what really happened the night before but also knowing that he shouldn't know and couldn't let Remus know he knew.

He suddenly got an idea. "Hey Remus. What kind of spells have they taught second years in DADA?"

Remus smiled, "Right now we're just doing review from First Year. That and the professor is teaching us to dodge spells."

Harry nodded thoughtfully. They had probably learned a lot more spells in their first year than Harry had considering that Quirrell didn't teach them anything. "What kind of spells do you know?" He asked in what he hoped sounded like a curious voice. He wanted to make sure he knew spells without looking too suspicious in case they were ever attacked.

Remus informed him a few spells that he knew and Harry listened as he explained them, hoping to come off as a curious kid. Although, he knew all the spells already, no one could know that. Harry even performed a few, surprising Remus as he did them perfectly. He'd been planning to try and do a weaker spell or charm when he did them but he was so used to doing them, it came naturally.

Thirty minutes later, James, Sirius, and Peter came into the Hospital Wing. James and Sirius raised their eyebrows when they saw Harry and came to sit by them. "Hey guys!" Sirius said as he cheerfully laid on the end of the bed instead.

"Hello." Harry answered back. He noticed James looking at him curiously but ignored it and instead levitated a pillow and brought it above Peter's head. Peter wasn't paying any attention to him as always but James, Sirius, and Remus had seen it and raised their eyebrows at Harry but he just dropped the pillow on top of Peter.

Peter jumped when the pillow hit him but since it was a pillow, it didn't hurt him at all. Harry secretly wished that it had but all he really could do for the moment was annoy him. He chuckled at Peter's annoyed look and he levitated the pillow back to its original position.

James, Sirius, and Remus laughed a little at Harry. "Okay..." James laughed. "How are you already in here, by the way, Harry?"

Harry blushed, "Couldn't sleep." He mumbled just loud enough so they could all hear. James' face showed understanding but Sirius, Remus, and Peter just shrugged.

Pulling out his Animagus book, he started to read more about it. He barely got a few sentences in before Sirius asked him a question. "What're you reading, Harry?"

"A book about Animagi." He answered simply, wondering if he could get the idea of becoming Animagi into their head's early.

"Like Minnie?" Asked James.

Harry nodded, "Yep. This one shows you how to figure out what form you would be if you became an Animagus. It's really interesting. I got the idea from Professor McGonagall. It's something I want to become one day. I've started trying to find my form already."

Sirius looked at him with wide, curious eyes. "Do you know what your form is, yet?" He asked.

Harry shook his head. "I know I'm some type of bird, though." He answered as Sirius' eyes widened.

"I want to know what I would be!" He said excitedly and Harry laughed inwardly.

"You'd probably be some type of dog." He said. Harry knew he was cheating as de already knew his godfather's animagus form, but he couldn't help himself.

"That would be awesome!" Sirius exclaimed, "Dogs are amazing. I could chase Minnie around the school!"

Harry and James laughed at Sirius who stuck his toungue out at him. "You need to find out what your form is so you can help me!" He said excitedly. "You guys too!" he added as he gestured at the others.

"I'd rather not do it." Remus said calmly, although Harry could tell he was panicking. He knew that werewolf's couldn't become animagi so he didn't blame him. He also knew that Remus didn't want anyone knowing that he was a werewolf.

"Come on, Remmy." Sirius said. "Wouldn't it be awesome to turn into an animal?"

Remus shook his head. "I'm good."

Sirius pouted but didn't push anymore. "What about you two?" He asked James and Peter.

"Definitely." James said as he nodded his head along with Peter, "What do you think I'd be?"

Sirius shrugged, "Maybe a lion!"

James grinned, "That would be brilliant." He said.

Harry did his best not to tell James that he was going to be a stag. Getting two right would be a little bit too suspicious.

* * *

The Junior Marauders, as the Marauders had dubbed them, walked down the hall to get to Charms. Alice was whispering to Ellie something that sounded suspiciously like 'Frank Longbottom is really cute.' And Harry nearly grinned when he heard that. Hopefully it meant that Neville would still be born in this timeline, he would do everything possible to make sure his old friends would still exist.

"Did you see me levitate the book in the last Charms class?" Will asked Harry with a grin, "It was the highest I'd ever gotten it to go. Professor Flitwick said we're going to be learning a new charm today, though! Isn't it great?"

Harry couldn't remember what the next charm was in his first year. It had been so long ago, he didn't even try and remember. He just hoped it would be something useful so would have a reason to know it. Will, who was pretty good in the class, second only to Harry, loved to learn Charms and was always a good sport when Harry did better than him. Will was a really good friend but Harry was quickly realizing that he was to trusting and very naïve and Harry knew that could be bad in the war and he needed to help Will with that.

"Harry!" Squealed Alice as he ran into a Slytherin and fell to the floor. "Are you alright?"

Harry nodded and picked his stuff off the floor. He was just about to apologize to the student when the Slytherin spoke. "Watch where you're going, shrimp." He said as Harry looked into the glaring face of Dylan Richardson, another First Year.

"Sorry." He said quietly as he picked his stuff off the ground.

"You should be, running into me like that. I'm a pureblood." He sneered, "You're just a half-blood."

Harry raised his eyebrows and Ellie, Will, and Alice came to his defense. "Shut up." Will said boldly, glaring at the other boy. Ellie grabbed Harry and Will by the arms and pulled them away with Alice following.

"That jerk!" Seethed Ellie, "He had no right to talk to you like that. Just because he's like, super tall, doesn't mean he can pick on people shorter than him."

Harry just sighed, "It doesn't really matter." He said. "I don't care so you shouldn't either."

Ellie rounded on Harry, "Of course it matters!" She exclaimed, "People like that need to be knocked down a few pegs." She stopped walking and thought for a minute, "We should prank them like your cousin and his friends. They've already dubbed us the Junior Marauders."

Alice frowned, "Ellie, we don't even know any spells. And even if we did, pranking is mean and humiliating."

"We'll only prank those who deserve it and James, Sirius, Remus, and Peter can teach us some spells!" Ellie grinned, "This will be so much fun."

Harry looked over at Will who looked curious as to what Ellie was going to do but he also looked like he didn't want to do it. He caught Will's eye and shrugged his shoulders. Will copied him.

* * *

They took their seats in Charms, Harry sitting beside Will and in front of Alice and Ellie, and waited for Flitwick to give them instructions.

"Good morning, class." Flitwick announced as he climbed onto of a stack of books to see over his desk. "Headmaster Dumbledore has given me permission to go ahead and teach you the Shield Charm. This Charm isn't usually taught until Fourth year but because of the recent attacks by the terrorist group called Death Eaters, Headmaster Dumbledore is having me teach it to each year."

Hannah Harris, a Hufflepuff, raised her hand, "How are we going to learn this charm if we only know Wingardium Leviosa?"

Flitwick smiled, "Practice. You will not be able to get this charm down perfectly on the first try. We won't be staying on this charm for very long at a time, also. We still have our first year curriculum to go through but we'll come back to this charm frequently."

The class nodded, looking a bit nervous.

"The incantation is 'Protego'." He said, and then they started to attempt to cast the charm.

Harry nervously took his wand out. He'd done the spell so many times during the war but he couldn't just do this spell on his first try. That would look too suspicious.

He looked around at Will who was producing a small wisp of a shield as his face was scrunched up in concentration. Ellie was doing worse than him, her wisp even weaker than his. Alice, however, couldn't produce anything.

Harry took a deep breath and produced what he hoped to be a weak shield charm. It was better than the whole class, but luckily not too good. However, it impressed Flitwick.

"Mr Potter, that's a brilliant shield for the first time." Flitwick announced, impressed. The entire class looked over at his shield.

Harry blushed at all the stares and dropped his weak shield. He never got this much praise the first time around and he didn't really understand it.

"Keep up the good work and you may be able to produce a good one soon." Flitwick said with a smile towards Harry before he went on to help the other students.

Will leaned over to him and whispered, "How did you do that, Harry?"

Harry shrugged, "I just did it." He answered, hoping he sounded truthful.

Will looked amazed at Harry.

* * *

Harry sat at the table in the Great Hall for breakfast a few days later. The days had gone by smoothly. Sure, he still had nightmares and had to lecture the Maruaders a few times of their bullying tendencies but other than that, everything was going well. Snape didn't seem to hate him as much as James, so that was a plus. Harry just really needed to become his friend, if only to keep him from becoming a Death Eater. Then Voldemort would never get the prophecy and that would be a big help for Harry's plan.

Will had managed to get Harry to help him, Alice, and Ellie get better at the Shield Charm since Harry was 'improving' quickly on that charm. The three eleven year olds were actually doing really well which was a relief to Harry as that charm was one charm he wanted all of his friends to know. It could very well save their lives. They still weren't perfect but Harry was sure they could block a weak jinx or hex. They were only first years, after all. They weren't nearly as magically skilled as the other years and were being given a charm that was meant for fourth years but Harry knew it was mandatory they learned it. With the Death Eaters coming around and the rising war, Harry would have instructed Flitwick to teach each grade the charm also if he were Headmaster.

Harry wondered if he was going to end up teaching his friends more Defense magic. It would help a lot with ensuring their safety but it would also be suspicious if a first year taught everyone else magic. However, he had taught seventh years Defense in his fifth year. He could probably still pull it off as long as he was careful.

"Harry!" Will shouted into his ear.

Harry jumped and stared wide eyed at his friend as he rubbed his ear, "What was that for, Will?" He asked, annoyed.

Will stared at him, "We've been trying to get you attention for the last five minutes and you've just been gazing off into the distance."

Harry grinned sheepishly, "Sorry." He replied. His thoughts had been stuck on Charms and the DA that he hadn't even realized. "What do you want?"

"Can we visit Hagrid?" Asked Ellie with a hopeful look on her face. "I've heard he has some really cool pets and I really want to see them." Alice was staring at Harry and slightly shaking her head with a fearful expression on her face.

"Sure." Harry answered. He missed Hagrid and had been planning on visiting the half giant soon.

Alice groaned and put her head in her hands. "You're trying to get us killed, aren't you?" She mumbled, barely audible for anyone but Harry, Ellie, and Will to hear. "His pets are going to kill us."

Harry chuckled, "They won't kill you, Alice. We'll be perfectly safe." Although, he couldn't help but think how 'safe' they could be around the animals Hagrid had. Never the less, he still wanted to see him.

"I heard he owns a huge dog that hates all children." She replied seriously. Harry inwardly chuckled at the idea of Fang hating children. The dog loved everyone.

"We'll be fine, Alice." Ellie said, "It will be fun!"

Alice just groaned again and Harry and Will shared a laugh while Ellie looked affronted.

* * *

**AN: YAY! Another chapter! I hope you liked this one. I also have something very important to tell you guys! My Beta reader, _who is my sister _said that I need to get a new Beta Reader because I'm updating my story too fast and she doesn't have time to write her own story so I need a new Beta Reader! PLEASE PM ME IF YOU WANT TO BE MY BETA READER! **


	9. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter! I only own my OC's. If I owned Harry Potter, I would not be living in a room with my three siblings at my grandparents house.**

* * *

Harry sat in the Great Hall the next day with his friends, talking about recent spells and potions they had learned along with a few other subjects such as their next flying lesson.

Whenever they talked about the upcoming flying lessons, Will would stop talking and stare at his hands, slightly pale. Harry kept having to reassure him that he would be fine this time. "Try not to be so nervous." Harry had instructed him.

"I'm trying." He had whispered, picking at his food.

Their conversation was interupted by a shriek from the Slytherin table, making grins erupt on Ellie and the Marauder's faces.

His eyes shot to the Slytherin table where Richardson's skin had turned pink. Richardson's eyes were shooting around his table for the source of the prank before moving to the Gryffindor table. His eyes landed on Ellie and Harry and his glare that he was wearing deepened.

Harry shot an accusing look towards Ellie and the Marauders who were laughing hysterically and high fiving each other.

"What?" Exclaimed Ellie when she saw Harry's look. "He deserved it."

Harry shook his head and groaned silently. He didn't want to make an enemy this time around but it seemed like it he would now. Why did they have to prank him? He could have handled it.

"Now he's just going to be annoyed and angry at us." Harry moaned.

Alice looked horrified, "You don't think he'll do something to us, do you?" She asked fearfully, shooting wary glances towards the Slytherin Table.

"He probably will." Harry sighed, "I didn't want any enemies, Ellie!"

Ellie shrugged, the only one of the four undeterred by it. "He deserved it and we have the Marauders on our back. If he retaliates, we can get him back."

Harry groaned as he put his head in his hands. An image of a Marauder/Slytherin prank war filled his brain. They were going to blow the school up! Harry could only be glad that they were only in their second year and couldn't do anything too big yet.

"No one messes with a Potter and gets away with it." James told Harry with a grin. "He should have known that."

Harry rolled his eyes, trying to hide how good he felt at those words. Especially it coming from his father. Sure, his friends stood up for him many times but it still felt good each time. Harry guessed it was from never having anyone standing up for him at the Dursleys.

"How did you even do that?" Will asked, wide eyed with amazement as he stared at the pink faced Richardson.

The Marauders grinned, "We do our research. We're also friends with the House Elves and we were able to slip a potion that we found into his drink."

Will continued to stare wide eyed before announcing, "You have to teach me that potion."

* * *

"Come on, Harry! We're going to Hagrid's." Ellie said excitedly, nearly bouncing in her seat at the thought. "What kind of animal's do you think he has?" She asked Alice, her eyes lit up. Alice, however, was sulking.

"Hopefully something safe." She stated firmly, crossing her arms and glaring at the floor. "I'm not in the mood to be torn to bits but a cerberus."

Ellie giggled, "You'll be safe, Alice. Don't worry."

Alice shrugged and Will came running down to the common room.

"Ready to go?" He said breathlessly, glancing back fearfully. Harry raised his eyebrows when he heard a loud shout come from the second year Gryffindor's.

He glanced at Will as they walked out of the portrait. "What happened?" Harry asked him.

Will smiled sheepishly, "You know that potion that Ellie used on Richardson?" Harry nodded. "Ellie gave me it and Sirius had a cup on the table beside his bed and I just couldn't resist."

Harry groaned, "You are so dead when they find out."

"Come on, guys!" Ellie shouted, grabbing Will and Harry by the arm and practically dragging them to Hagrid's hut.

Ellie knocked excitedly on the door and waited for Hagrid to open it. Alice nervously glanced around as if looking for a dangerous animal and Will looked curious. Harry, however, was nervous but for a whole different reason than Alice. He hadn't said a word to the Half-Giant yet.

The door opened and Hagrid stood in the doorway, looking tall and scary. Alice backed up slightly but Ellie and Will just looked up at him curiously while Harry resisted the urge to hug the friendly man.

"Hello, Mr. Hagrid!" Ellie greeted with a bright smile, "I'm Ellie Abbott, that's Alice, Will, and Harry. We've heard a lot about you."

Hagrid looked wary, "And what have ya heard?" He asked in his rough voice. Alice had a frightened look as she stared at the intimidating man. Harry, however, knew that once she got to know him, she would be fine.

"I heard you have a lot of really cool animals." She said happily, "Is it true? I love animals."

Hagrid looked slightly more at ease. He had probably been thinking that they knew he was a half-giant. "Well, I don't have any 'cept Fang in this hut but I know where somea are."

Ellie bounced excitedly, "Can I see Fang?" Alice looked terrified so Harry lightly touched her arm and tried to calm her down. It helped a little.

"Sure, why don't you guys come in." Hagrid said, smiling now. It at least made Alice look more at ease with the large man. Ellie nodded excitedly and walked into the cabin with Harry, Will, and lastly Alice following.

Fang wasn't as big as he was when Harry was in school. In fact, he was still a puppy. It looked weird to see him so small. Fang had been so humungous when he was in school that it nearly felt surreal.

The dog being so small helped Alice's worry though. Harry had no doubt that if Alice had met the dog when it was older, she would probably be terrified at first. Instead, Alice softly petted the dog after Ellie had nearly tackled it and spent thirty minutes playing with the cute puppy.

The three first years had instantly taken to Hagrid, even Alice after a while. The friendly giant loved to chat with Ellie about different kinds of had tasted Hagrid's cooking for the first time before giving the rest to Fang. Alice even found the stories interesting and by the time they were heading home, all four had small smiles on their faces.

"I really want to see a dragon now." Ellie said happily as they walked, her blond hair bouncing on her shoulders as she skipped slightly.

Alice looked pensive, "I don't know." She replied slowly, " They're really dangerous and I don't even know where you would see one."

"A Dragon Reserve?" Will suggested, "I read about those."

Ellie nodded excitedly, blue eyes sparkling, "I have to write to my parents and ask if we can go to one of Christmas Break! I'm sure Michael would like it too."

Harry couldn't help but be slightly nervous for that. He knew how dangerous Dragon's could be and didn't want Ellie to get hurt. He couldn't be sure that that it would kill her. Even though he knew that in the original timeline, she was a lot older from the picture he saw, this timeline was different and things could change.

"Just be careful." He told her and she nodded excitedly, increasing her pace so she could get to the castle faster. He turned to Will to strike up a conversation. "Well, how did you like the visit?"

Will smiled, "The food was bad but it was still really fun." He paused slightly, "I wonder if he knows anything about the Death Eaters?"

Will had gotten very interesting in the news about the new war. While Harry knew that the war wasn't as bad as it would get, he was still nervous about what would happen to his friends.

Harry shrugged, "I don't know. I wouldn't ask him though. Most of the adults don't like us knowing stuff like that. You'll just have to continue reading the Daily Prophet."

Sighing, Will turned his head slightly, " I know. I'm just really curious. They attacked the orphanage you were in. How do we know they won't attack somewhere we are again?"

Harry sighed, "We can't. We'll just have to hope they won't."

* * *

Harry was annoyed when Richardson stopped them in the hallway, flagged by Crabbe and Crouch. He knew the Slytherin's, especially Richardson, were mad at him for the prank. They probably didn't even spare a thought that it could be anyone else.

"I just thought you should know." Richardson sneered, "The Slytherins aren't really happy with you."

"I didn't notice." Harry replied sarcastically. From all the dirty looks he'd been getting from that house, it was easy to tell they were angry.

Richardson's cheeks grew slightly pink and his eyes narrowed, "You don't talk to Pureblood's like that." He growled out. Crabbe and Crouch glared behind him.

"He'll talk to you however he want's to talk to you." Ellie said confidently, "Just because we're not ridicoulously inbred does not mean you're better than us."

Richardson's face grew red with anger, "Don't you dare talk about my family like that you filthy Blood-Traitor."

Ellie didn't care though. She walked up to the boy and stared him in the eyes, obviously furious. "I'm not a Blood-Traitor. You and all the other pureblood maniacs are." She spoke in a deadly tone, as if daring him to disagree.

Sneering, he retorted, "I don't hang out with mudbloods and blood-traitors, Abbott."

Ellie's fist clenched, "Don't you dare use that word around me, Richardson." She threatened. Harry had never seen her this angry and obviously neither did Will or Alice who were gaping at their blonde friend.

"Mudblood." He sneered, taking pleasure in her fury. Before the Slytherin knew it, Ellie had swung her fist back and it made contact with his nose.

Alice gasped and grabbed Ellie's arm as she pulled back to punch him again. Will continued to gape as Harry rushed over to the girl's.

"Calm down, Ellie." He soothed, "Take a deep breath."

Richardson had fallen to the ground and was now holding a hand to his nose in shock. While Ellie was still to young to do any real damage, it still shocked the Sytherin that she dared to try. Glaring, he stood up and abrubtly walked away.

"You punched him." Will faintly whispered. "You actually punched him."

* * *

**AN: I'm really sorry this is so short and that I've taken forever to post this! I have Writer's block. Not much is supposed to go on in first year so I've been trying to fill stuff in. I'll probably skip to Christmas in the next chapter. People who want scenes with Harry and his new parents, it will probably come up in the next chapter. I hope this chapter was okay. I don't have a beta anymore because my evil sister stopped. _If you want to be my beta you can PM me. _**

**Until the next chapter!**


	10. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. If I did, I would not be sharing a room with my three siblings at my grandparents room.**

* * *

Christmas was coming up and Harry had been training a lot in the room of requirement. He had gotten the idea after taking the diadem horcrux and putting it in a safer room in the room of requirement. He didn't want anyone running into it accidentally and he had no way of getting rid of it. He didn't think he could take on the basilisk yet and he'd never been able to control fiendfyre.

Harry walked out of the Room of Requirement and back to the Common Room. He listened as the portraits talked among themselves, hoping that they might somehow have news of Death Eater activity. He wanted to do his best in keeping his friends safe and ending the war but he really couldn't locked up in the castle. That's why he was getting smaller things done first. Killing the basilisk once he had enough training, outing Pettigrew (although he didn't know how yet), turning Severus and Regulas to the light sided, getting rid of the diadem horcrux after killing the basilisk, making the Marauders less biased and bullying, and training the students more so they would be ready for the war.

As he entered the Common Room, he saw his friends and the Marauders. Everyone looked happy to be leaving for Christmas except Sirius. The boy looked distraught that he was leaving and Harry suddenly remembered that Sirius hated his family.

He walked over to his friends and greeted them. "Hey guys!" He said as happily as he could.

"Hey Harry." They replied in unison before snickering about the fact that they had replied like that. "Where have you been?" Will asked, curious as always.

Harry weighed his options in his head. He could tell him about the Room of Requirement and help them train or keep it a secret for now. If he showed them the room, they could become suspicious but it would be good training for them.

Finally, he decided to take his chances.

"I found a secret room on the seventh floor and I was practicing spells in it."

Will, Ellie, and Alice perked up at that. "Secret room?" Ellie whispered excitedly. "Really?"

Harry nodded, "Yeah. It changed into anything you want."

"I've never heard of a room like that." Alice said skeptically, "Are you sure?"

Harry nodded and laughed softly, "Of course I'm sure." He told her, "How about after Christmas break, I can show you guys."

They all nodded enthusiastically. "You can help us with spells! You're always really good with them." Will said, bouncing slightly in excitement. Ellie and Alice nodded happily.

* * *

They were on the train, heading for home. Harry felt weird going somewhere else that he called home other than Hogwarts but he was happy. He needed more time to think about how to end the war and he missed Charlus and Dorea.

He suddenly got an idea. He really needed to focus on getting Severus onto the light side and he wanted to become friends with his mother yet he hadn't talked to them. He barely saw Severus other than classes and Severus seemed set on the idea that he was just like James. It always felt weird talking to Lily. He'd been forced to talk to James and he had no idea how to talk to Lily. He had an idea that would hopefully make them see that he wouldn't prank them.

"I'll be back later." Harry said as he stood up and left the compartment. His friends nodded and continued with their game of Exploding Snap. Harry walked down the train, looking in the compartment for Lily and Severus. He was pretty sure they would be together.

He was right, he found them sitting alone in a compartment. When he opened the door, Severus glared at him and Lily raised her eyebrows.

"Um, hi." Harry spoke, suddenly having no idea what to say.

"What do you want?" Severus snapped, glaring at him with hate. Harry felt slightly offended since he had only met him once.

He struggled to say something, "Um. I just wanted to say that I hope you have a Happy Christmas." He said. He realized something else he could say, "I also want to apologize for James' behavior. I don't think he realizes that he goes to far."

Lily sent him a small smile, seeming to accept him. Severus' glare lightened but he didn't seem to really think that Harry was serious, "Are you just saying that so you can prank us?" He asked harshly.

"Severus." Lily said, surprised, "I haven't seen him prank anybody since we got to the school and he's always seemed nice. Just because his brother is Potter does not mean that he acts the same."

Harry nodded slightly, not even correcting the brother thing since James was supposed to technically be his cousin.

Severus made a noise of protest, "What about Richardson?" He asked.

"That was Ellie." Harry said softly, "She was mad at him for calling us names."

Lily grinned, "We can't be mad at him for that. He didn't do anything and his friend only did it because he made fun of them first."

"I guess." Severus said grumpily, "Fine. Happy Christmas." He said grudgingly. Lily repeated him but with a nicer manner. Harry nodded and closed the compartment door, taking a deep breath. That had been harder than he thought.

* * *

They arrived in the station and Harry and James met Charlus and Dorea. Harry watched as Alice left with her parents, Ellie with her brother and parents, and Will with his dad. He also saw Pettigrew leave with his mother, Remus with his parents, and Sirius practically dragged away by his parents. He caught his first sight of Regulas. The boy was a near copy or Sirius. He sent him a small smile, hoping to be friends with the boy when he came to Hogwarts next year. He wanted to keep him away from the Death Eaters.

"How was your first semester at Hogwarts?" Dorea asked as they apparated home.

Harry smiled and answered truthfully, "It was great."

"What about you, Jamie?"

James scowled at the nickname but answered, "It was good. We pulled a whole lot of pranks and I got on the Quidditch Team as Chaser."

Dorea grimaced at the prank part but beamed at the mention of him getting on the Quidditch team, even though he had already told him that.

* * *

Harry woke up with a shout, mentally cursing himself for yelling out during his nightmare of Sirius' death. He had been thinking how to end the war last night and remembered the day that Sirius died and ended up dreaming about it.

Before he knew it, the door was opened and Charlus come in looking worried.

"I'm sorry if I woke you." Harry said immediately. He wasn't very close with them yet.

Charlus shook his head, "I was already awake. Are you alright, Harry?" He sat on the edge of Harry's bed with a worried look on his face, "Did you have a nightmare."

Harry blushed. He hated telling people that he had nightmares and he was trying to keep it from as many people as he could but everyone was finding out. He nodded his head slightly, thinking quickly.

"You want to talk about it?" Charlus asked him kindly. Harry hadn't come up with anything yet so he just shook his head, "Are you sure. Talking sometimes helps."

Harry shook his head again, "No sir." He answered.

Charlus wrinkled his nose, "Remember, call me Charlus or Uncle Charlus, Harry." Harry nodded, having forgotten that for a second. The longer he stayed as a kid, the more he acted like he did as a kid. He guessed his mind was adjusting to the mind of a kid. He hoped it wouldn't affect anything.

Charlus grinned and ruffled Harry's head, "Remember that me and your Aunt Dorea are always here if you need us. We love you like our own son and we want to know if you're having nightmares." Harry nodded, feeling warm inside, "You should write to us more often at Hogwarts."

The next thing Harry knew, he was being pulled into a hug. He stiffened momentarily, not expecting it, before hugging back.

"Well, sleep well and good night." Charlus grinned at him and left the room.

"Night."

* * *

**AN: Not my best chapter, I know. I was going to make it longer but I decided to leave Christmas for the next chapter. I put the scene with Charlus in it because someone wanted a scene with Harry and Charlus or Dorea. I also had Harry start to try and become friends with Lily and Severus! Yay! Harry will be working on that now.**

**Also, someone said that Harry should be working more on trying to end the war. Harry is supposed to be eleven. He really can't do much now. Last time, he killed the basilisk by luck so he has to train. Also, the only horcrux he has is the Diadem. Voldemort still has the other three since Nagini isn't a horcrux yet. He can't really leave Hogwarts for half a day to find the ring. This story is going through all seven years of Hogwarts. Right now, he is working on things that need to be worked on early such as the Marauders hatred of Slytherin and Severus and Regulas turning to the dark side. He's working on things on the inside right now. Soon, however, it will start to pick up and more things will happen. I promise you.**

**Next chapter is the rest of Christmas Break! I'm excited. Christmas is always a fun time. **

**I STILL NEED A BETA! IF YOU WANT TO BE MY BETA, PM ME!**

**I also posted a new story, literally about an hour ago. It's called Finally Living. It's a lot different than this story but it was an idea that has been stuck in my head for a while. Read it if you want.**

**Until the next chapter,**

**HPM**


	11. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. If I did, I would not be living in a room with my three siblings at my grandparents house. I would be living in a mansion in England and my name would be JK Rowling.**

* * *

The living room was stunning. A decent sized Christmas tree stood in the corner of the Living Room with beautiful lights and ornaments arranged perfectly on it. The inside of the house had been decorated and it really felt like Christmas. It wasn't as great as how Hogwarts looked but Harry loved it anyway.

They had all worked together to decorate the house and Harry thought it was perfect. It had been a lot of fun decorating it also. Harry had never really done things like that with family so it was a memory he would never forget.

James had gotten a letter from Sirius asking if he could come over to their house on Christmas. Apparently, he wanted to be as far away from his family as possible. It worried Harry. He knew that Sirius had run away from his family in sixth year but he couldn't help but wonder if it was worse than Sirius had let on.

Dorea and Charlus had frowned at that but had said that Sirius could come over and James had even invited Remus and Peter. They, however, wanted to stay with their families on Christmas.

The days passed quickly and Harry opened his eyes on Christmas morning. James was shaking him awake with a wide grin on his face.

"Come on, Harry. It's Christmas!" He announced happily.

Harry nodded drowily, "I'm up." He replied and he stretched and got out of bed.

James was almost bouncing with happiness, "Come on!" He grabbed Harry's hand and nearly dragged him down the stairs where Charlus and Dorea where already waiting.

"Happy Christmas!" Dorea said as they arrived downstairs.

James and Harry repeared her and James was eyeing the presents under the tree. Charlus seemed to see this and smiled at James.

"Alright. Presents first, breakfast afterwards." He told them. James' grin, if possible, got even wider.

Charlus started handing out presents. James opened his presents like a lion devouring his food. Harry, however, took a much calmer approach.

His first present turned out to be a book. A book that he was actually really familiar with. A History of Hogwarts. Harry was reminded of Hermione as he read the words on the cover. He had never actually read the book but now that he thought about it, it might help him a lot with the war. It had helped Hermione find out a lot of things that helped them.

James had opened up his present to find some Quidditch gloves which he was very happy about. He spent about five minutes looking over every detail of them before going on to his next present.

They continued opening presents but both of their favorite present had to be the new broom that each of them got. Both of them got Comets. Harry felt a sudden wish for his firebolt but knew that one didn't come out for another twenty years.

"Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" James said to Charlus and Dorea excitedly as he clutched his broom and looked it over.

"Thank you." Harry told them.

"You're welcome." Charlus and Dorea told the both of them.

Harry grinned at them happily. The war didn't matter at that matter. His old life didn't come into his mind at that moment. Right now, all that he could think about was his family now.

* * *

Sirius arrived a few hours later looking nowhere near as happy as the Potter's. He had said hi to Harry, or 'Mini-James as he said' and James but it was sullen like he was sad. He did, however, brighten up when James, Harry, and him went outside to fly.

"How's your break been so far?" James asked Sirius as he mounted his new broom.

Sirius frowned, "It's been awful." He answered, "Regulas is acting more like my parents every time I see him. My parents have been complaining all the time about me being in Gryffindor and friends with 'Blood Traitors.'"

James grimaced, "Your parents are awful."

Chuckling, Sirius replied, "I know. Let's not talk about that right now, though. It's Chistmas!"

Harry grinned at Sirius and mounted his broom and shot off. Sirius and James grinned and followed him. They flew a few laps around the pitch that the Potter's had.

"Alright. How about we race?" James suggested. Harry and Sirius agreed and they raced a few times, each winning around the same amount of times.

Harry had beat them both three times, making them looked shocked but James looked proud also. He grinned widely at Harry.

"I've taught you well." He grinned, "You have to try out for Seeker or something next year. We would never lose with both of us and Sirius on the team."

Sirius agreed, "Yeah. We would beat Slytherin every time!"

"And we could rub it in Snivellous' face." James continued.

Harry groaned, "Aren't you in love with Lily Evans?" Harry asked. He'd been trying to get his point across to James for the entire semestar and it wasn't working.

James raised his eyebrows and frowned, "Yeah..."

"Don't you think it will be hard for her to love you back if you keep messing with her best friend? What would you do if someone liked you but always pranked Sirius?"

James' frown deepened, "But this is Snivellous." He protested, "He's a Slytherin."

"So's Aunt Dorea." Harry pointed out, "I don't think all Slytherins are evil. Cunning and Ambition aren't necessarily evil traits."

James looked awkward, "He hates us though."

"You do prank him and make fun of him a lot. I'm just saying, I think you would have a better chance of getting Lily if you were nicer to her friends."

Sirius looked a little awkward off to the side, "Well, not _all _Slytherin's are evil." Sirius said, "A lot of them are. Andromeda is okay though and your mother. Professor Slughorn is decent also. I see your point." He didn't look very happy at Harry's point though.

James looked put out, "So you're saying I should stop pranking?"

"Not really. Pranking's fine unless your only targeting one person or it's something really embarresing or can hurt them." Harry answered, thinking about the Weasley Twins. They had never done anything that could really be considered bullying but they still loved to prank.

The twelve year old Potter groaned, "I'll try." He said, not looking pleased at all, "If it will help me get Lily.."

* * *

Harry listened to James and Sirius talk across the hallway. It was one of the rare talks where they spoke about something serious and it worried Harry. Especially the things he heard. It started with them talking about Remus.

"I think he's a werewolf." Sirius started.

"A werewolf? Would he really hide something like that from us?" James asked.

"Think about it. He get's sick once a month around the full moon and disappears for the day and comes back hurt." Sirius answered, "Wouldn't you hide that from your friends? Most people think werewolfs are monsters."

A pause, "They are if they hurt anyone but Remus wouldn't hurt a fly and we haven't heard of any werewolf attack around Hogwarts. What does he do on the full moon?"

"I don't know but I think him being a werewolf is the likeliest answer." Sirius said.

Another pause and then Harry heard James say, "Sirius, is that bruises on your arms?"

"No." Sirius said quickly. Harry's interest was peaked even more at that. Hadn't he reacted the same way when someone asked about the any bruises on him? Was he being abused by his family?

"There is bruises on your arms? Where did you get them?"

"I fell." Sirius' lame excuse came next. Harry had flashbacks of all the excuses he had used. Something was up and he didn't want Sirius to be being hurt by his family.

"Sirius..." James replied, "Those are hand shaped bruises."

"I was in a fight with Regulas?" Sirius said. It sounded more as if a question.

James hesitated, "Did your parents hurt you?"

"No." Sirius replied quickly.

"You can tell me if they are."

Sirius hesitated before saying, "Yeah. They got a little mad yesterday."

* * *

Sirius ended up staying with the Potter's for the rest of the break. Harry had watched him carefully and wondered how he could have missed the signs. They weren't that obvious but Harry had been abused and he knew the signs. The way Sirius wore acted around Charlus and Dorea was a big one. Another was the way he was always careful to keep his sleeves down.

By the time the break was over, Harry didn't want to leave. He loved spending time with his new parents and liked it when James wasn't pranking everyone. They just had a fun time around the house for a few weeks and Harry loved it. Charlus and Dorea were starting to feel like actual parents other than gaurdians and that made Harry feel really happy. He'd always wanted parents.

They arrived at Kings Cross and James and Sirius immediately ran off to find Remus and Peter. Harry found Will a few minutes later and gave Charlus and Dorea hugs and promised to write before going off with his friend where they met up with Alice and Ellie. Harry grinned at all of them.

"How was your break, Harry?" Alice asked him as they found a compartment.

"It was great." He answered happily.

* * *

**AN: I hope this chapter was good! I liked writing it. We're getting more into Sirius' storyline! Aren't you excited? **

**Someone told me that I shouldn't be starting a new story because it will make the breaks between chapters too long. Look! I updated twice in two days! YEAH!**

**I'm sorry about starting a new story but I really wanted too. I promise that I will try and update more. So I'll make you guys a deal. If I don't update for two weeks, PM me and yell at me. I'll do my best to update it more though. I had writers block but the story should be picking up now. **

**I'M ALMOST AT 100 REVIEWS! DO YOU KNOW HOW HAPPY THAT MAKES ME! I have never gotten that many reviews for a story before. So, I'll make a deal. My one hundredth reviewer will get to know something that will happen in the future of the story. Just an event that will happen. I have a lot so I will tell you something. It will be big also. **

**Thank you for all my reviewers and followers! I LOVE YOU ALL!**

**Until my next chapter,**

**HPM**


	12. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter!**

* * *

He was going to do it. He was going to kill the basilisk.

It was the Saturday after they got back from Christmas break and Harry was sure he was ready to fight it.

Throwing up a disillusionment charm, he carefully made his way through the hallways. It wouldn't be good if someone followed him in.

He could hear Moaning Myrtle sobbing about something and when he opened the door, she couldn't hear him over her cries.

Once he was in the girls bathroom, he realized something. He wasn't a horcrux anymore. Did that mean he couldn't speak parseltongue? He needed to be a parselmouth to enter the chamber! He knew that Ron had mimicked it during the last battle, but that wouldn't work for Harry since he had never actually heard the hissing.

His heart beat furiously as he found the sink that he needed. There was the snake. All he needed to do now was hope that he could still speak parseltongue.

He concentrated on the snake, "_Open."_

The sink opened. Harry felt himself sigh in relief and Moaning Myrtle shrieked, "Who's there?"

Harry ignored her and threw up some charms around the sinks so no one would see if they passed by. Even though no one ever used this bathroom, there was always a chance some first year could walk through the door.

He jumped down the sink and slid through the gunk. Once he hit the bottom, he wrinkled his nose at how dirty his robe was. He would have to clean it before he left.

He noticed that the chamber wasn't as dirty as the last time he'd been in it but that was probably because the basilisk was still asleep. Memories passed through his mind but he pushed them away. He needed to concentrate.

What did he need to say? He frowned, trying to remember the day he was there in his previous second year, and called out, "_Come to me Slytherin, Greatest of the four."_

The mouth opened and the basilisk started to slither out. Harry's heart was in his chest and he readied his wand and cast the conjunctivitis curse at the large snake's eyes. It was the only way that he knew to make sure that the snake's gaze wouldn't kill him, and it would be harder for it to find him.

The snake tossed his head back and forth and Harry took a deep breath and started casting curses at it. However, most of them bounced uselessly off the snake's scales.

It was even harder than he thought it would be and the snake had realized it was under attack and was now coming towards him. Harry ran back, trying to get as much distance between him and the snake as possible before casting more curses.

Nothing was working! No matter what he cast, everything just bounced off!

His mind working furiously, he suddenly got an idea. He remembered second year when he and Ron had found the note in Hermione's hand. A rooster's crow could kill the snake!

He ran back a little further and concentrated. After finding a rock, he cast the charm on it and suddenly a rooster sat where the rock had been. He grinned and waited for it to crow. It didn't.

Harry was getting scared. He couldn't die here. He still had so much to do! They would never even find his body or know what happened to him.

Another idea popped in his head and he immediately shot a small stinking hex at the rooster.

The rooster crowed and the snake's head started to fling around violently before it fell to the floor, resulting in the shaking of the entire chamber.

Harry took a deep breath and stared at the snake for a moment before banishing the rooster. That took care of many problems. Now, the snake wouldn't be able to kill or petrify anyone and he would be able to destroy the Diadem.

He transfigured gloves quickly and put them on before walking over to the dead snake. He had planned ahead of time for getting the fang but he knew he couldn't touch it with his bare hands. It could kill him.

The basilisk's mouth was slightly open, and he reached in quickly and pulled out a fang. He quickly placed the fang in a bag that he had carried in with him. There were a dozen charms on it that he had placed there so no one else could touch it.

Satisfied, he stood up. That was one problem out of the way. Now he only had about a hundred more to go.

He cast a scourgify on his clothes so no one would get suspicious and walked out of the chamber, only to realize he had no way out. How did Slytherin get out when he made the chamber?

It seemed he didn't have to worry about that, though. Fawkes popped in, making Harry jump.

_"Need help, Young one?"_

Harry smiled in relief, "Yes, I do." He answered.

* * *

Once Fawkes had helped Harry out, he closed the sink and put the disillusionment charm up once again before quickly and carefully going to the seventh floor and into the Room of Requirement.

He stared at the Diadem. It didn't look like it had a piece of Voldemort's soul latched onto it but Harry knew better. The beautiful Diadem was a horcrux and he needed to destroy it.

He put on the gloves again and took the basilisk fang out. It was time to destroy part of Voldemort.

Lifting the basilisk fang into the air, Harry braced himself for the fight before bringing it down and stabbing the Diadem.

Black mist came out of the Diadem but it quickly died out. Harry grinned, feeling satisfied. One part of Voldemort's soul was gone. Now he just had to destroy the rest. He had no idea where to begin looking, though. He knew Voldemort had three of them. The ring was at the Gaunt's house but he didn't know where to begin looking for the others.

He left the room and headed down the hallway, feeling happy. He was one step closer to destroying Voldemort now.

"Where were you?" Ellie demanded as he walked in the Common Room, "We've been looking for you everywhere and we couldn't find you!"

Harry immediately tried to think of an excuse. He knew he couldn't tell her that he'd been fighting a basilisk and destroying a horcrux, "I was... In the secret room I told you about." He answered.

Ellie's eyes brightened, "Really! Can you show us now? You said you would after Christmas break."

He sighed. In truth, he was exhausted from that but he didn't want to look suspicious, "All right. Get Alice and Will and I'll show you."

* * *

Harry was heading back to the Room of Requirement for the second time that day. Except this time, he had Alice, Ellie, and Will following him.

They arrived at the seventh floor across from the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy. Alice, Ellie, and Will looked confused.

"This is just some blank wall." Alice pointed out.

Harry nodded and paced by it three times, thinking, 'I need a room where I can practice magic.'

He knew it worked when he heard gasps from his three friends. Turning around, he saw the wide door that had suddenly appeared, just as he had known it would.

Ellie ran to it excitedly and opened the door. All three of his friends gasped as they saw the large room. It had a large mat on the floor so they could practice dueling and practice dummies were suspended in the air. A large bookshelf full of books stood on one wall, with chairs sitting in front of it. Another part of the room had a long table with various items on it to practice transfiguration and charms. The last area was set up with everything they would need to make potions.

"This is brilliant." Will breathed with wide eyes.

Harry nodded, "I've been practicing magic in here, dueling, transfiguration, charms, and potions. There are books here for everything I need also."

His three friends were gaping at the sigh before them before Ellie squealed, "We should practice with you! We could learn to fight the Death Eaters!"

Harry nodded, "That's the reason I've been practicing. I've seen firsthand what they can do and I want to be able to defend myself." That wasn't a lie. They just didn't know that his most pressing concern was Voldemort.

"What kind of books do you have?" Alice asked curiously, as she walked over to the books and picked one up that Harry had been reading, "How to Become an Animagus"? Don't you have to be of age to become one? It's illegal if you aren't, isn't it?"

"It will help a lot in the war. Besides, I won't get in trouble if no one finds out." Harry answered, taking the book from her, "I already know that I'm some type of bird but I don't know anything other than that."

Will's eyes grew even wider, "That sounds so cool!" He said happily, "You've got to teach me how to do it!"

"I'll teach all of you if you want." Harry answered, mentally hoping they did. It would help a lot and could even save their lives.

"I want to." Ellie said immediately, up for any challenge.

"Me too." Will nodded, excited.

Alice hesitated, looking as if she was weighing the pro's and con's, "Me too." She finally answered, "However, if I get caught and have to pay a fine, you're going to pay me back!"

* * *

**AN: YAY! Another chappie! I've decided that I will update this story every Friday and my other story, Finally Living, every Tuesday. If I don't, yell at me.**

**Congratulations to Just Another Aceves for being my 100th review!**


	13. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. If I did, I would not be sharing a room with my three siblings while living at my grandparents house.**

* * *

Harry, Will, Alice, and Ellie spent the rest of the day practicing spells, Harry helping on the ones they were having trouble with. He was glad that his friends had decided to become Animagi now. He was sure that would help them survive what he knew was coming. Being able to change into an animal could get them out of a lot of situations that they might find themselves in.

He had showed them how to get started and, while nothing had happened yet, they promised to work on it every night. He hoped he could help them transform but first, he needed to become an animagus himself. It was harder than he had originally thought. While he was showing immense progress, he had yet to find out his form. He knew he was a fairly large bird but that was it.

They had been practicing in the Room of Requirement every day for about two weeks. He had been working with them on perfecting certain spells that they had already learned and even teaching them new ones. When asked how he knew so many spells, he just said that he had been working ahead. He was pretty sure that they bought it.

It surprised him how easily he lied to his friends. It made him feel guilty. He knew he had to do it, though. There was no way that they would believe that he was actually from the future and was here to stop a war that had barely even begun. They would never believe it.

This was the right way. He was doing the right thing.

He was proud of his friends, however. After days of practicing the shield charm and Harry helping them along, all three of them had been able to produce a fairly strong one. Harry knew that first years usually couldn't do that so he was proud of them. So was Professor Flitwick.

Things were getting better and better each day. He was sure he could help his friends fight off Death Eaters.

"Harry!" Will exclaimed happily as he opened the wide doors and ran in, "I've made progress with my animagus transformation!"

"Really?" Harry wondered as he stood up from where he had been meditating, "What have you learned?"

Will grinned happily, "I'm pretty sure I'm a land animal. That's all I know but I'm getting closer!"

"That's great Will!" He replied happily, giving his friend a high-five, "Pretty soon, we'll all be able to turn into animals."

Will continued to grin happily, "Have you made any more progress?" He asked curiously.

"I know I'm a fairly large bird." He answered as he walked over to the potions lab, "That's it, though."

Sighing, Will sat down in front of a cauldron, "Well, we have a Potions exam today and I still haven't perfected the potion we've been working on. Can we practice that now?"

Harry nodded and they got to work.

* * *

Harry jumped slightly as James and Sirius suddenly appeared behind him in the common room. The room was empty since most of the Gryffindor's had gone to bed. He hadn't expected them to appear behind him and half wondered if that was how everyone else felt when he took off the cloak. In fact, Harry realized that was how James had appeared behind him. He eyed the cloak that James clutched in his hand and remembered times in the past when he had used it with his friends.

"Hey Mini-James!" Sirius greeted brightly at Harry, "We were just about to do some exploring and were wondering if you wanted to come."

James nodded in agreement and Harry smiled, "Sure." He answered, closing the Transfiguration book on Seventh year spells. It was spelled so that anyone else would see a book on first year spells though so Harry could study the Seventh year work that he missed without any suspicions.

"Excellent." James clapped his hands and threw the cloak over all three of them. They were still small enough so it fit over all of them.

Harry decided to play dumb, "What is this?" He asked, gesturing to the cloak on them.

James' eyes brightened, "That's right. I haven't told you about this yet. It's an Invisibility Cloak, family heirloom."

"Cool." Harry pretended to gush over it. He tried to remember how he had acted when he first got it, "This is brilliant."

James nodded happily, "That it is." He responded as Sirius opened the portrait for them.

They were venturing through the halls when Harry got an idea. He had memorized the Marauders Map and knew most of the secret rooms and passageways.

He leaned on a part of the wall that he recognized as a secret passageway and wasn't shocked when he fell backwards.

James was immediately by his side, "Harry, are you okay?" He asked frantically.

Rolling his eyes, Harry answered, "I'm fine James." He stood up after reassuring his brother. he could see the worry in both James and Sirius' eyes disappear when he found out he was fine. Sirius' attention was instantly drawn away from Harry and to the passageway that Harry had fallen into.

"What is this place?" He wondered out loud. He turned to Harry with a grin, "I think you just found a secret passageway."

James clapped his hands, softly so he wouldn't draw Filch's attention. "Well, let's find out where this leads!" He exclaimed happily as he folded up the invisibility cloak and placed it inside a bag he had brought.

Sirius and Harry agreed and they headed down the passageway even though Harry already knew that they would end up right outside the Transfiguration classroom.

They walked through the passageway in silence, the only sounds being their footsteps. It wasn't until they reached the end of the passageway that they spoke again.

"A shortcut to Transfiguration!" Exclaimed James happily.

"Brilliant. We could get here early to set up pranks." Sirius added with bright eyes, "Especially against the slimy Slyth..."

He stopped at Harry's glare and quickly backtracked, "I mean, just a small prank against everyone equally."

Harry nodded in satisfaction.

* * *

"Mr Potter, can you do a demonstration for me?" Professor McGonagall asked the smaller boy. Harry nodded and took out his wand. He had gotten used to his professor's asking him to demonstrate once they realized that he was better at magic than most. He usually had to make sure it wasn't as good as it could be so they wouldn't get overly suspicious though.

He pointed his wand at the button in front of him and spoke the incantation. The class watched closely as the button transformed into a quill. He made sure to make the point not as sharp as it could be.

McGonagall nodded in satisfaction, "A near perfect transfiguration. Ten points to Gryffindor." She spared him a smile, "Can you explain to the class how you were able to do this on the first time?" She sounded curiously. Harry knew she had not expected him to do as well as he had done.

He swallowed, his Slytherin side working quickly to come up with a lie, "I've been working ahead." He answered, "It wasn't that hard really. It's all about intent instead of the incantation or wand movement."

The Professor looked shocked, "That-that is true, Mr Potter. Many do not realize this until at least their fourth year." Turning to the class, she spoke, "One of the many secrets of transfiguration. The intent is more important than the incantation."

The rest of the First Years nodded their heads and pulled out their wands, following their professor's instructions. Harry beamed at Ellie as she managed to transform her's on her third try. She was the first other than Harry to do so and she seemed to glow with pride as McGonagall nodded and gave her five points to Gryffindor.

He saw Alice having a bit of trouble in front of him so he whispered to her, "Alice, picture the quill in your head and speak more clearly."

Nodding, Alice straightened her back with confidence and clearly spoke the incantation. The button twitched and grew into a quill, causing her to smile happily.

Beside him, Will was using the quill that he had transfigured to draw pictures on a piece of parchment. He grinned at Harry and Harry saw a glimpse of a dog on his parchment. It was way better than he could ever draw anything!.

After a while, McGonagall said, "Very good everyone. Class dismissed."

* * *

"Okay Harry, let's duel." Smirked Ellie as they stood on the mats in the Room of Requirement.

Harry nodded and pulled out his wand, "Ready?"

"Ready." Confirmed Ellie.

The bowed and Harry allowed the blond haired girl to throw the first spell. He was actually thrown backwards with an Expelliarmus. He got up and threw a proud look to the girl. He wasn't expecting her to be able to actually throw him backwards with it. He was going to allow her disarm him but he didn't think she had mastered the spell.

The blue eyed girl just smirked at him and twirled his wand in her hand before throwing it back, "As you can see, I've been practicing." She told him, readying her wand again, "Let's go again. And this time, don't hold anything back. I know you let me win."

Harry grinned and nodded. The two bowed and got ready. Harry threw up a shield as the disarming spell came at him. It dissolved once it hit his shield.

"Expelliarmus!" He threw the same curse back at her. Ellie dropped to the floor to dodge it, forgetting about the shield charm for a moment.

She shot the jelly-legs jinx at the raven haired boy since she was already on the ground. Harry just barely blocked it, mentally berating himself for almost missing it.

Ellie quickly stood up and cast Expelliarmus at him again but he dodged it this time before throwing the same spell back at her again. He was getting frustrated with only being able to use a few spells but he dealt with it.

He watched in satisfaction as Ellie wasn't fast enough to dodge or throw up a shield as she went flying backwards and her wand flew through the air. Harry caught it expertly and walked over to help her up, mentally thanking the room for having extra cushioning charms on the mat.

She took his hand and he pulled her up. She scowled slightly at the realization that she had lost a duel against Harry yet again, "Let's go one more time." She told him.

Harry consented and they readied their wands. Once Harry realized that Ellie was not going to throw the first spell like she usually did, he threw the disarming curse at her. She threw up a shield and it dissolved before throwing back the jelly legs jinx followed by Expelliarmus.

Harry, put off slightly by the usage of two spells in a row by a first year, dodged the first and managed to throw up a shield to block the next. He could almost hear Mad-eye's voice berating him in his head as he threw Flipendo back at her. He was really out of practice in dueling and kept having to hold back spells that he shouldn't know yet. It was affecting his performance greatly.

Ellie threw a shield up just in time to not get hit with it and threw a Locomotor Mortis at the boy. Harry dodged it easily and threw a Petrificus Totalus at her but she managed to narrowly dodge it.

After blocking a disarming curse from Ellie, Harry decided to let Ellie win the duel. She'd been trying to beat him for a while anyway and there was no harm in letting her beat him once.

As another disarming curse flew towards him, Harry acted like he tried to block it but allowed it to hit him and he went flying through the air.

Ellie smirked in satisfaction as she leaned over Harry and helped him up before handing his wand back. "That was fun." She said happily, "We should go to lunch though. Alice and Will are probably already there."

Harry nodded and followed his friend out of the Room of Requirement. He was confident that if his friends joined the war, they would be able to hold their own.

* * *

**AN: Another chapter! I would like to thank MistressLeigh for being my Beta. Thank you mom. **

**What do you guys think everyone's Anamagi forms will be?**

**Also, I had a guest review say that it wasn't Happy Christmas, it was Merry Christmas. I'm using British terminology here. They say Happy Christmas. Please look it up before leaving rude reviews. **

**I hope you liked this chapter!**

**Until next Friday,**

**HPM**


	14. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

* * *

"Harry! Will! Have you read the Daily Prophet?" Alice asked as the two boys sat down in the Great Hall.

Harry instantly knew something bad must have happened. The number of times he had heard those words from Ron or Hermione had conditioned him.

"No. What happened?" He asked, taking the paper that she was holding out to him from her hands.

"A muggle town was attacked by Death Eaters." She said, "Twenty muggles and one wizard were killed. The Ministry thinks things are getting worse and we might be going into a war soon."

Harry wasn't surprised. He knew they were already in a war but the Ministry didn't want to scare people. At least the were admitting that these people were dangerous.

"Really? A war?" Will asked, reading the paper from behind Harry's shoulder. Harry was really only skimming it.

"Yeah." Alice confirmed, taking a bite of her pancakes, "Anyway, Ellie's sick. She caught the flu that's going around. I took her to the Hospital Wing this morning. Remus was sick too although I don't think it was the flu. The Marauders were with him."

Harry blanched. He'd completely forgot that the full moon was the night before. Thankful that it was a Sunday and he didn't have any classes, he abandoned his food, "I'm going to go visit them." He told them before standing up and quickly walking out of the Great Hall, berating himself for forgetting about Remus. Will caught up with him.

"I'm coming too." He told Harry as he caught up. Harry nodded and continued on his way.

They continued in silence before they arrived at the Hospital Wing. Harry could see that Ellie was currently sleeping on a bed near Remus who was surrounded by the Marauders.

The Marauders waved at them as they came in and they waved back before checking on Ellie. Once Harry was certain that his friend was fine, he went and sat with the Marauders.

"Morning Mini James." Sirius greeted as he sat with them, "Morning Will."

Harry rolled his eyes at the nickname that Sirius continued to call him, but he still wished him a good morning.

"Did you get the flu to?" Will asked Remus curiously. Harry was able to tell that Will was getting suspicious of Remus being in the hospital wing so much.

"Uh, Umm.." Remus stammered, "Yeah. A-a mild version of it."

Will nodded, satisfied with the answer. Harry nodded also, knowing that Remus wouldn't want many people to know the real reason that he was in the hospital wing so often. He also knew that the Marauders had been told when they got back from Christmas Break the way they shared glances.

"I hope you feel better." Harry told Remus who nodded his thanks.

"Have you heard of the Death Eater attack on the Muggle town?" Will asked them

Sirius' head snapped up, eyes wide, "No... What happened?" He asked. Harry knew that out of all the Marauders, the war would still affect Sirius the most even with Harry working to end it. Sirius' family were either Death Eaters or agreed with them.

Will retold the events of what happened and Sirius groaned, "A war?" He said exasperatedly, "Why would we even go into a war? Why don't they just accept Muggles and MuggleBorns."

"Because most people are idiots?" Will guessed.

They all nodded, "Couldn't have said it better myself." James told him. Will grinned.

"If there's a war. I want to fight in it." Sirius announced, "I can really prove to people that I'm not like my family. Besides, Muggles can't really defend themselves against Wizards. They'll need people defending them."

Remus was out by lunch. Harry wondered if it got worse with age because

* * *

Remus was gone longer than this when he taught. However, it could be due to the fact that he had thought he lost all of his friends by then and didn't have anyone really supporting him.

Lily and Severus walked into the Great Hall and they went their separate ways. Lily went to the Gryffindor table and Severus went to the Slytherin table. Harry was surprised when Lily came and sat beside him.

"Hello Harry." She said as she sat beside him. Harry discreetly looked over at the Marauders and had to hold his chuckle in at their scandalized expressions.

"Hey Lily. Having a good day?"

She nodded, "Yeah, it's pretty good. I haven't been pranked in a long time by your brother's group of friends." Harry held in his laugh, knowing that Lily was saying this on purpose because the Marauders could hear everyone word they were saying and were listening in.

He grinned slightly, unable to help it, "Yeah, that's good." He said.

Harry saw Lily discreetly grin also, "Yes, there have been a surprising lack of pranks this semester. I'm assuming you had something to do with it."

"You could say that. I may have given them some advice. You have to give them some credit though. I'm sure it must take a lot of work not to do all those pranks."

She looked scandalized at the thought of giving them credit but Harry knew that if he wanted to work on the Marauders and Severus' relationship, he needed Lily to be friends with them first.

She grudgingly faced the pranksters and said, "Thank you for not pranking me or Severus. You'd better keep this up! ."

Harry saw James beam at her "You're welcome Evans." He told her. He looked like he was struggling not to add something on the end of it but he didn't.

Lily looked slightly surprised at that but ignored it and turned back to Harry, "I hope your friend gets better soon." She said, meaning Ellie, "Marlene had the flu earlier this week. She's perfectly fine now so she should be okay soon."

Harry smiled and nodded. Lily stood up and walked over to some of her friends from her year. James instantly turned towards Harry, "You got her to speak to me." He stated happily.

Harry nodded, "She would talk to you more if you didn't prank her and her friends."

James grudgingly nodded in agreement.

* * *

Harry sat in the Room of Requirement, meditating. He could feel himself flying through the air. It had been becoming more pronounced. His feathers felt warm and he wondered if he must be a bird from some type of warm area. That was a possibility.

He started to see something. That really hadn't happened yet but he knew it was a step. Usually, he could just feel it, not see it.

He couldn't see much but he could see something right in front of him. A beak. It was black and slightly curved at the end. Harry stared at it, intrigued. Another clue of what animal he might be.

Where had he seen that type of beak before? It looked very familiar.

He was pulled back to Earth by someone calling his name. He opened his eyes to Will standing in front of him with raised eyebrows.

"Have you gotten any further? You've been sitting there for hours." Will asked him, sitting beside him.

Harry nodded and smiled, "Yeah. I'm starting to see things now."

"Really?" Will asked, intrigued.

Harry nodded, "I saw my beak. It's black and slightly curved at the end. It looks really familiar."

Will cocked his head sideways in thought, "It sounds familiar to me too. I can't remember what though. You're going to be the first out of all of us to become an Animagi though."

"I've been doing it longer though." Harry pointed out, although he knew it was also because he was mentally eighteen.

"That's true. So you're some type of medium sized bird with a black, curved beak." Will said, "Anything else?"

Harry nodded as he remembered something, "Oh yeah. I think the bird is from someplace warm. My feathers felt warm."

Will thought long and hard but shook his head, "I don't know what it is." He answered truthfully.

Harry shrugged, "Oh well. I'll figure it out."

* * *

**AN: I'M REALLY SORRY THIS IS LATE! I was out of town all week and forgot to send it to my beta. I just got it back.**

**Until the next chapter,**

**HPM **


	15. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

* * *

Harry frowned as he heard familiar voices talking in an abandoned classroom. He silently made his way up to the door and pressed his ear to it. Bellatrix Lestrange, now Black, and Lucius Malfoy should have information on Voldemort's activities. He was growing restless having no information on the Dark Wizard that had killed his friends and family.

"... Dark Mark?" Bellatrix's high, shrill voice spoke. Harry was taken aback slightly. He remembered Bellatrix's voice being more insane sounding. Not like Aunt Petunia's. Well, the insane woman had spent years in Azkaban.

"I'm getting it over the summer." Lucius Malfoy's voice sounded excited, "The Dark Lord thinks that I will be useful in recruiting other students."

"Wonderful." Bellatrix said happily, "I've already gotten it. I got it last summer. The Dark Lord obviously thought that I could be of use, too." She announced haughtily. Harry's eyebrows rose. Sure, she was in her Sixth year and Lucius was in his Seventh but he'd always imagined that Draco Malfoy had been the youngest Death Eater.

"You are very good at casting the Cruciatus Curse." Lucius praised. Harry kept his disgust at bay. That same curse had tortured so many people.

"Yes, I am, aren't I? Daddy was a very good teacher" She replied, "Anyway, who are you planning on recruiting?"

"Wilson, Anderson, Walker." He ticked off nonchalantly, "Maybe even that second year Snape."

"Snape?" Shrieked Bellatrix who was instantly shushed by Lucius.

"Shush. Someone might hear us."

"Sorry, but Snape? That greasy half-blood who's friends with that Mudblood Evans?"

Harry pushed away the anger that he felt. It wouldn't be good if they found out he was here.

"Yes, but he seems interested. I'm not entirely sure about him though."

"I wouldn't." She snarled, "Although, I was thinking of Harry Potter."

Harry's eyes widened and his breath caught in his throat. What? He was a 'first year' Gryffindor Half Blood! What was she thinking? He would never join Voldemort.

"What?" Lucius asked, sounding gobsmacked, "That's worse than Snape! The younger Potter is one, a halfblood, two, a Gryffindor, three, a First Year, and four, does not have any idea on blood purity!"

Bellatrix sounded aggravated, "Yes but he is absolutely brilliant at Magic. I heard he's the top of his year. Besides, we can teach him. The Dark Lord will dismiss his blood status and house status once he see's how powerful the boy is. I'm sure we could make use of him."

Harry couldn't believe what he was hearing. Him, a Death Eater. He defeated Voldemort! He almost laughed out loud at the idea.

"That is true." Lucius spoke hesitantly, "However, he has James Potter as a brother. Potter barely lets his brother out of his sight."

"I'm sure we can figure something out."

"Right, well we need to get back to the common room before people start wondering where we are."

Footsteps came Harry's way and he panicked, backing away and quickly walking down the hall, careful to hide the sound of his footsteps.

The raven haired time traveler just barely managed to turn the corner before the door opened and the two Death Eaters walked out. Heart beating against his chest and feeling slightly panicked, Harry jumped into the closest secret passageway and waited for them to pass. He didn't need them confronting him now.

* * *

Harry took his frustration out on the dummy in front of him. Hearing Hermione, Ron, and Neville's murderers conversing about trying to get him, Harry Potter, to become a Death Eater sickened him.

He had _killed _Bellatrix. The woman who had murdered and tortured so many, including his friends and family. Now she was back and Harry had to resist the urge to kill her again. He knew he couldn't though. He would be sent to Azkaban and then he wouldn't have changed anything.

Except the basilisk was gone. As well as one horcrux. And the Marauders didn't hate Slytherins as much. And Lily's relationship with them had improved slightly.

That didn't matter though! Everyone would still die. No one would know about the Chamber of Secrets so the Horcrux's would have to be killed by fiendfyre.

He had to resist the urge to sneak out of the castle and go get the ring from the Gaunt house. If he died there, who would save everyone? If someone noticed he left, how would he explain that he had left the school to find a ring that had a piece of Voldemort's soul in it along with the resurrection stone?

He had no idea where the cup, diary, and locket were though. He couldn't destroy those for a while. Possibly not until after he graduated Hogwarts.

However, that meant that if they didn't get a spy in the Death Eaters, he would have to allow Bellatrix and Lucius to run free. And Regulas would still have to become a Death Eater. They were the ones who received the Horcrux's. Besides, he wanted to make sure Draco was born.

He sighed as the dummy fell to the ground. He had no idea what to do about that. It would take a while for him to be able to destroy those horcruxes. He would have to have patience if he wanted to be successful.

A new dummy appeared in front of him and he threw more spells at it.

How in the world was he going to do this without anyone getting suspicious? He was getting close to the end of his First Year in this timeline! Time had passed by quickly and pretty soon the war would be getting worse and he would have to do more. How in the world was he going to hide that from the Marauders, Ellie, Alice, and Will?

Harry grimaced at the thought. He really hoped he could save them all. It was weird to think that they were all dead in his time.

He wouldn't let that happen though. They were going to survive.

* * *

"Look! It's Potty Junior and his friends." Richardson spoke as he stepped in front of them as they were on their way to Potions.

Harry sighed, the name reminding him slightly of when Draco had called him Potty. It didn't bother him anymore. It seemed so childish now. He'd heard much worse.

"Leave us alone, Richardson." Harry told him, not wanting to get into a fight.

Richardson, however, just smirked, "What are you gonna do, Potter? Run to your brother?"

Harry rolled his eyes but Ellie glared at Richardson, "Want me to punch you in the face again?"

Ellie really needed to learn to control her temper. It would be problematic in a battle.

Harry saw slight fear in the boy's eyes and hid his laugh with a cough. Ellie could do much worse with her wand. All her punch had done was maybe shock him a little and sting slightly. She was only eleven. Harry knew that Draco had felt much worse when Hermione had punched him and he still teased them all the time with no fear.

Richardson just smirked at her, trying to act like he wasn't scared. He didn't answer her though, and put his attention back on Harry, "Have you heard of those Death Eaters? I think they have the right idea, don't you?" Crouch and Crabbe nodded in agreement.

Harry scoffed, "Sure. If you think murdering innocent Muggle's is the right idea."

Richardson glared, "Muggles need to be put in their rightful place."

This time it was Will who spoke up, "Their rightful place is where they are now, living out their lives the best they can without fear of monsters like you."

The Slytherin grew red, "Why you little.." He pulled out his wand and was just about to curse Will when a shout of, "Protego." echoed through the halls and an impressive shield appeared in front of Will.

Alice had her wand out and was staring at the shield excitedly. She hadn't conjured one this good before. While Harry was sure her shields would have been able to block hex's and jinx's from third years and younger, this one was even better. Harry hadn't been able to produce one that good until the end of his fourth year.

Richardson was so shocked at the appearance of the shield that he dropped his wand. Harry grinned widely at the dark haired girl who looked extremely proud of herself.

"Wow!" Ellie said excitedly, "How did you do that?"

Alice shrugged and took the shield down. Richardson, Crabbe, and Crouch immediately ran off when Alice pointed her wand at them. She giggled at their retreating backs, "No one was ever really about the be cursed by someone who actually wanted to hurt them before. I just reacted on instinct."

Harry could barely hide his cry of triumph. That's what he needed them to learn to be able to do. If she could block curses on instinct, that would help her in the war.

They were only First Years and they were already doing better than he had done.

"Thanks Alice." Will grinned, hugging the girl.

Alice continued to grin all the way to potions.

* * *

"And then Richardson tried to curse me and Alice produced this amazing shield! She was brilliant!" Will informed the Marauders happily as they walked down the hall. They were all there except for Peter who had left after realizing that no one was talking to him. Harry was glad. He hated being civil to that rat.

"Really?" James asked in amazement, "That's great Alice! Have you guys been practicing?"

Alice blushed and opened her mouth to answer before quickly shutting it. The Room of Requirement was their secret. She answered a half truth, "Yeah. Harry's been helping us."

"Good job." James praised, "Do you want us to prank Richard..."

The older Potter was cut off as he ran into someone. Harry's eyes widened slowly as he saw that the person James had run into was Lily who had dropped all her stuff on the ground.

"Oh my gosh." Lily muttered as she bent down and started to pick up her stuff. James did as well, helping her gather her things.

Harry bit back a proud smile.

"Thanks." Lily said as James handed her the things. Once she saw who it was, she blushed, "Thank you, Potter."

James grinned happily, "You're welcome. I'm sorry I ran into you Lily."

Lily blushed when she realized that he had just called her by her first names, "I should have been looking where I was going. It's okay... James."

She quickly ran off, blushing furiously. James's entire face brightened considerably and and he grinned so widely that Harry thought it was a wonder that his face didn't crack.

"Did you hear that? She called me James!" He did a small cheer in the middle of the hallway.

Sirius raised his eyebrows in amusement and snorted, "Really James? It is your name."

James stuck his tongue out, "Yes, but she always used to call me Potter."

"Well, you did call her Evans." Harry pointed out.

James rolled his eyes, "Details, details."

"James had a girlfriend. James has a girlfriend." Ellie sang with a grin.

Blushing furiously, James laughed, "Shut up. She still doesn't like me."

"Well, we'll have to work on that." Harry smiled.

James beamed.

* * *

**AN: Really sorry it's late! I was out all day yesterday and was exhausted when I cam home and fell asleep right away. PLEASE FORGIVE ME! **

**Until next chapter,**

**HPM**


	16. Chapter 15

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

* * *

"PROTEGO!" Harry shouted as the red spell sailed towards him. The spell disintegrated as it touched his shield and he sent back one of his own, "Expelliarmus!"

Will's wand flew out of the boy's hand and Harry caught it expertly. Ellie and Alice cheered as Will sighed dramatically.

"I don't think anyone can beat you." He said as he accepted his wand back from Harry.

Harry just grinned, "Ellie did once." He replied, "No one else has though."

Will stuck his tongue out at Harry playfully before turning towards the girls, "Can I go against one of you?"

Ellie stood up happily and twirled her wand, "You may." She replied.

Will and Ellie stood across from each other on the mat and bowed the way Harry had instructed them to do. They pointed their wands at each other until Alice told them to go.

Ellie started first, as always. She shot a stunning spell at the brown haired boy, her favorite spell, "Stupefy!"

Will dove to the side. He'd always liked to dodge more than shield. The spell flew past him and he shot the jelly legs jinx at the blonde haired girl. Ellie easily blocked it and threw the same spell back.

It went on like that for ten minutes before Ellie threw a disarming spell at him, making him dodge to the side. In the time he was dodging, she threw a stunner at the boy and he collapsed to the ground unconscious.

Alice and Harry cheered before Harry enervated Will. The boy groaned as he awoke and said, "Every time!"

Harry grinned at him, "You just need some more practice."

Will nodded in agreement and took Harry's offered hand to get up.

Ellie childishly stuck her tongue out at Will.

"Anyway." Will spoke, trying to change the subject, "How are you all doing with your work to become an Animagus'?"

Ellie scowled, "I've gotten nowhere." She said, "I have no idea what I am. I could be a goldfish for all I know."

"Same with me." Alice replied with a frown.

Harry shrugged, "We are only first years." He said.

Will beamed, happy to be better at something than Ellie for once, "I know I'm a land animal." He bragged slightly.

Ellie glared at him and Alice pouted.

"What about you Harry?" Alice asked curiously.

He blushed, not wanting to make them further upset. However, he'd already told Will and he knew the boy would probably tell the girls, "I'm a bird with red feathers and a slightly curved beak." He answered truthfully.

Ellie frowned, looking slightly upset but still curious, "Like Fawkes?" She wondered.

Harry froze for a moment. A Pheonix. That's what he was! How? From what he'd read, you couldn't be a magical animal. However, it made perfect sense. Red feathers, slightly curved beak, his feathers felt warm. Just like a Pheonix.

"I can't be." He answered with a thoughtful frown, "You can't be a magical creature."

Alice thought for a minute, "It never said that. It said no one has ever been a magical creature before. It never said you can't."

Harry thought for a moment. He'd always been able to do the impossible. Surviving Voldemort, defeating Voldemort, breaking into Gringotts, going back in time.

"Merlin." He breathed, "You're right."

Will grinned and high fived him, "Brilliant!" He shouted happily, "You're the first magical creature Animagus!"

Harry blushed but grinned also. He would have to talk to Fawkes the next time he saw him.

Ellie looked slightly jealous, "Lucky. I haven't even figured out of I'm a land, water, or air animal yet."

"I've been trying longer than you." Harry protested, although he knew it was also because he'd had more magical experience than they did.

* * *

"Fawkes." Harry grinned as he walked into the dorm to find Fawkes sitting on his bed, "How are you?"

The voice appeared inside his head, _"Hello Young One."_Fawkes spoke, _"I'm well. How are you?"_

"Great!" Harry grinned. He took his wand out and placed a privacy charm around his bed before closing the curtains. He needed to talk to the Pheonix without someone listening in. For a moment, he wondered why Bellatrix and Lucius hadn't done the same but realized that they hadn't been through a war. Besides, no one other than Harry would probably even know what Bellatrix and Lucius were talking about. "Fawkes, I've been trying to become an Animagus. I think I'm a Pheonix. All the books said that no one could become a Magical Creature though."

Fawkes trilled happily, _"No one has gone back in time to change the future either."_ He said in Harry's head, _"It fits you though. Also, you are, or rather were, the Master Of Death. Pheonix's are immortal. While you aren't, you did cheat Death."_

Harry sat on his bed and thought hard for a minute, "I guess so." He answered with red cheeks. He never wanted to be the Master of Death, "Why hasn't anyone else been a Magical Creature though?"

_"Oh, someone has."_ Fawkes trilled, _"Merlin was a Pheonix also. However, there has not been one since him. You always seem to be able to do things that others can't."_

Harry blushed again.

_"There is also the fact that I will be your familiar one day and I took you back in time."_

He raised his eyebrows, "Really?"

The Pheonix trilled, _"Yes Young One. I can tell that you are a Pheonix. You feel like one."_

His eyebrows rose higher, "Feel like one?"

Fawkes nodded, _"Yes. It is a power of a Pheonix. We can tell when another one of us is near."_

"Wow." Harry breathed, "You learn something new every day."

The Pheonix trilled again_, "Yes Young One. Now, you must work on becoming a Pheonix Animagus. I can help you."_

* * *

"Hey Little Bro." James said as he appeared behind Harry and ruffled his hair. Harry scowled at his 'brother'. His hair was messy enough as it was.

"Yes James?"

"Sirius here." Sirius scowled at James as James spoke, "Is getting restless not being able to play any pranks."

Remus chuckled, "So were you."

James rolled his eyes, "Anyway, we wanted to know what an 'acceptable' prank will be. I don't want Lily mad at me."

Sirius snickered at James but the messy haired boy ignored him.

"Something that will not hurt anyone or embarrass one specific person." Harry answered after a minute of thinking, "Maybe something that involves the whole school."

A few seconds later, Sirius was grinning from ear to ear, "I have an idea." He said happily before dragging James, Remus, and Peter with him.

Harry couldn't help but glare at Peter's back as the boy left. He had no idea how to get Peter away from James, Sirius, and Remus. Peter had to be dealt with. He had betrayed James and Lily, framed Sirius, and resurrected Voldemort. The sniveling boy was not needed for Harry to find horcruxes and defeat Voldemort so he just needed to find away to keep him away from the rest of the Marauders.

How would he do that without telling him that he was from the future? They would never believe him if he told them anyway and James would never allow him to find the Horcruxes.

The time traveler would have to figure that out soon. The longer they were friends with Pettigrew, the worse it would be for them when they found out.

* * *

Harry's jaw dropped as everyone at the Head Table sprouted devil's horns. A glance at the Marauders proved his suspicions. How in the world had they pulled that off?

"No way." Will breathed from beside Harry. He had also easily figured out who had done that, "How did they do that?"

"Potions class and House Elves." Sirius said as he butted into the conversation, "It's a potion that I created on accident while trying to make a something else last year. I was supposed to make a potion that turned your hair red but I misread the directions. This happened!"

"How do House Elves fit into this?" Alice asked curiously.

This time it was James who came into the conversation, "They absolutely adore Remus so all we had to do was ask them to put the potion into the staff's food. At first, they protested but we told them it would wear off after a while and it was just to have a little fun."

Ellie grinned, "That's so.."

She was cut off by a shout of, "POTTER! BLACK! LUPIN! PETTIGREW!"

McGonagal was standing up and looked livid. Peter squeaked in fear, Remus groaned, and James and Sirius smirked.

"Yes Minnie?" James and Sirius spoke at the same time. Harry hid his amused grin.

"Detention!" She shouted. The four nodded, obviously expecting it.

Harry spared a glance towards Lily and was satisfied to see her actually giggling slightly. The prank hadn't hurt anyone and they hadn't targeted a specific person to embarrass him or her. Lily was obviously satisfied.

Severus wasn't, though. Harry saw him glaring at the Marauders. Sighing, Harry shook his head. He didn't think Severus would ever be satisfied by any prank by the Mauraders. The Slytherin would probably hate anything they did.

Harry needed to work on that. Lily had to be friends with the Marauders first though. Then he would work on Severus.

* * *

**AN: I hope you guys liked this chapter! It was a little shorter than I meant for it to be. Sorry. **

**Until Next Chapter,**

**HPM**


	17. Chapter 16

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

* * *

Bellatrix Black and Lucius Malfoy didn't approach Harry the next week and Harry was relieved. He didn't plan on having Death Eaters trying to talk him into joining them.

He really never wanted to speak to them at all. They were his friend's murderers even if they hadn't committed the crimes yet. Harry wished that he could go ahead and send them to Azkaban but he knew that it wasn't possible.

He needed them to get to the Horcrux's.

He was spending his days dodging the two Slytherins whenever he saw them and working on spells with his three friends.

Harry had also started the second step to becoming an Animagus.

Now that he knew that he would be a Pheonix, he could actually start working on _becoming_a Pheonix. This was proving to be a lot more difficult than finding out what he was. He knew he would still be doing this as he went into his 'second' year. Will, Alice, and Ellie would probably be working on it into their third year at least.

Well, hopefully they would be done before they actually got into the war.

Currently, the 18 year old in an eleven year old body was sitting in the common room and reading his History of Magic textbook. He was hoping to manage an O in that class this time around. He barely knew anything about History of Magic so he had a lot to learn.

It was late at night and he was the only one in the common room at the time. It also happened to be the Full Moon. Harry was up late worrying about Remus. Though he knew that Remus would be fine, he couldn't help but worry.

Besides, he didn't feel like having a nightmare tonight. They'd become less frequent lately but he had a feeling he would have one tonight after he'd stopped a first year Slytherin from being attacked by a bunch of Ravenclaws. He recongnized at least one of the Ravenclaws as someone who would become a Death Eater.

He'd actually never seen a Slytherin attacked by Ravenclaws before so it was a little strange when he first caught sight of them. However, he knew that the Slytherins weren't the only ones who caused trouble.

Anyway, a few light stinging jinxes sent them running off. He didn't stay around for the Slytherin to know who he was though. He just went quickly to class to avoid being seen.

Harry was startled out of his thoughts as he heard footsteps coming down the stairs and into the Common Room. He internally groaned.

It was James.

James' eyebrows shot up when he saw Harry.

"What are you doing here?" He asked incredulously.

Harry shrugged, "I couldn't sleep so I decided to do some reading." He answered truthfully.

James nodded as he came and sat on the couch with Harry, "Nightmares?"

Harry blushed but nodded. James knew about his nightmares. Or, James thought he knew about his nightmares. He didn't exactly know the correct reason for them.

"What about you?" Harry asked curiously, "Why are you up?"

This time it was James who blushed, "I can't tell you." He mumbled.

Harry instantly realized that James was probably worried for Remus, just like Harry was.

"Is it Remus?" Harry wondered aloud to his brother.

James head shot towards Harry instantly, "What?"

Harry fought from laughing at James' reaction. He really shouldn't laugh. James knew that Harry couldn't know but Harry just had to mess with James, "He's sick, isn't he?" He asked, hiding his smirk with his book.

He knew that Remus' excuse was he had come down with a really bad cold and was in the Hospital Wing for the night.

James sighed in relief, "Yeah. He's sick." He answered. Harry inwardly laughed. He had probably scared James.

Harry nodded, schooling his face into a worried look, "I hope he gets better soon."

James nodded slightly, "Me too." He answered, "Anyway, how are classes going?"

"They're brilliant. Oh! I forgot!" He rummaged around in the bag he'd taken down with him and pulled out the first Animagus book, "Give this to Sirius. He said he wanted to find out what animal he was. I already figured mine out."

James stared at him in shock, "You figured your's out? How? You're only a first year!"

Harry shrugged, "Well, I did figure it out. I had help, though. Ellie, Alice, and Will helped a lot. Oh! And Fawkes confirmed it. I'm a Pheonix!"

James' mouth dropped, "A Pheonix? I thought that was impossible! Minnie said that you couldn't become a magical creature. I asked her!"

Harry grinned slightly, "That's what I told Fawkes! He said it's just really rare. Merlin was a Pheonix Animagus."

If it was possible, James grew even more shocked.

Harry hoped this was going to make James interested in becoming an Animagus. Maybe they could finish the process even earlier than they had before.

However, this posed a problem for getting Pettigrew away from the Marauders. Harry wasn't going to let Peter become an Animagus this time around. Maybe he could scare him.

He toyed with that thought for a while. He would have to find a way.

"The book is really interesting. It doesn't just talk about how to find out what animal you are. It also mentions some neat facts about Animagi. Did you know that once you become an Anamagi, you take some of their features? Like, if you were a dog, you would probably get a heightened sense of smell. And did you know that Werewolves can't become Animagi?"

Harry knew he had James' attention now, "And if you're an Animagi, you can be around werewolves in your animal form and they wouldn't be able to transform you into a Werewolf."

There. Harry could almost see the light bulb turn on in James' head.

"That's really interesting." James said, already flicking through the book, "I might read it with Sirius."

Harry grinned. They had discovered that Animagi could be around werewolves a year early! That meant that if everything went like it did in the original timeline, they would be Anamagi in their fourth year.

He wouldn't have to worry about something happening that would cause them not to become Anamagi now.

"Well, I'm heading to bed." Harry stood up and packed his History Of Magic textbook back in the bag, "Night."

"Night." James muttered, giving Harry a hug and sitting on the couch with the book.

* * *

As Harry expected, he'd had a nightmare. Luckily, he'd remembered the silencing charms around his bed so that none of the other boys noticed.

Revisiting the Battle of Hogwarts in his sleep was something that he loathed.

So there he was, up at six in the morning with no hope of going back to sleep.

He had no idea what to do with his time. Only a few people were up at this time of day.

Finally figuring out what to do, Harry pulled out his second Animagus book and headed towards the Room of Requirement.

Once there, he laid the book on the mat in front of him and sat down to start meditating.

Becoming an Animagus was different from finding out what animal you are. You start out the same, meditating, but you do something different once you find your animal.

Harry meditated and found himself flying through the sky. It was clear now. He could see all the clouds in the sky and could see his red feathers when he turned his head. There was no doubt in his mind that he was a Pheonix.

Then the different part came. He would have a difficult time explaining how it felt to his friends when the time came.

He used his magic to will himself to become the Pheonix on the outside. He could practically feel his magic coursing through his veins.

A few minutes later, he opened his eyes. He didn't feel any different. He checked himself over. Nope. Nothing.

That was expected though. He probably wouldn't see any progress for at least a week. It would probably start with him just getting a few feathers or something.

After a few more tries with no luck, Harry realized it was seven thirty. Breakfast had already started.

He picked up his bag and headed out of the room towards the Great Hall. He knew James would probably worry if he didn't show up to breakfast. Last time he skipped a meal, James had the Marauders and the 'Junior Marauders' searching the castle for him.

The Marauders weren't in the Great Hall though. Harry could have hit himself. They were in the Hospital Wing with Remus! He could have stayed longer and they wouldn't have known!

Well, he might as well eat while he was here.

Sitting down beside Alice, Harry piled food on his plate.

"Morning Harry!" Alice greeted.

Harry nodded at her since he had food in mouth.

"Where are the Marauders?" Will asked him curiously.

Harry swallowed his food and answered, "Remus is sick so they went to visit him in the Hospital Wing."

Ellie looked confused, "Again? He seems to get sick a lot."

Harry smiled nervously. They couldn't know about Remus. _He_wasn't supposed to know about Remus, "Yeah. I guess he must have a weak immune system."

They all nodded, "Probably." Alice agreed thoughtfully.

Harry mentally sighed in relief.

A few minutes passed before Alice groaned, "Oh! Potions today. I forgot. I hate Potions. I'm dreadful at it."

Will snickered, "We know, Alice. It's kind of obvious."

Alice stuck her tongue out at him, "Oh shut up."

The four of them laughed for a moment. It was moments like these that Harry almost forgot about his old life.

Almost.

It all still weighed down on him. He missed his old friends. Ron, Hermione, Neville, Luna, _Ginny._ They'd all been important to him and he'd lost them all. It was hard to just forget about them.

Sometimes, he wished he could though. He wished he could just live his life and not have to miss his friends.

He pushed the thoughts away and reminded himself the same thing he always did. He was going to save them. Although, they would never be his friends again. They would grow up differently and be too many years younger to ever really be close to him.

He had his friends here though. Friends and family. Everything would turn out all right.

* * *

Harry didn't have time to visit Remus after he ate and he felt guilty. He'd visited the Werewolf after every transformation since he'd met him! He hadn't this time though.

His thoughts kept focusing on how to stop Pettigrew from becoming an Animagus. He had an idea. A fairly good one at that.

Peter was a coward. That was a known fact. All Harry had to do was warn Peter about the dangers and risks about becoming an Animagus. Hopefully, Peter would be too scared to try it.

He may also add that he would go to Azkaban if discovered.

It was very important to Harry that he succeed in this. If he didn't, it made Harry's plans a lot harder.

It would be a challenge though. James and Sirius were bound to try and convince him. He would have to convince them that it would be too risky for Peter to do it. Peter was, after all, a lot less magically advanced than they were.

If he could convince the two Marauders that Peter could permanently damage himself, they would probably not push him to keep trying with them.

He knew this wouldn't stop James and Sirius from becoming Animagi. They wouldn't care about the risks.

After assessing the plan for ways it could go wrong, Harry was proud to say that he couldn't think of anything except Peter ending up surprising him with his courage and becoming one anyway.

Although, he could always confund Peter if anything went wrong. That way he would be sure that Peter wouldn't become an Animagus.

Hopefully.

* * *

**AN: I hope you liked this chapter! **

**Whoever is my 225th reviewer, I will give you a spoiler for this story. :) And if I get to my 250th review, I'll give that person TWO spoilers.**

**Until Next Chapter,**

**HPM**


	18. Chapter 17

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

* * *

Harry forced a smile onto his face as he sat down next to Peter Pettigrew in the Common Room. James, Sirius, and Remus had gone off somewhere but Peter had stayed so it was good for Harry to try and stop Peter from becoming an Animagus.

"Hello Peter." Harry said politely, sitting down next to him, "How are you?"

Peter eyed him, obviously wondering why Harry was talking to him, "I'm good. What about you?"

"I'm good also." Harry said, "So, has James told you about the Animagus book that I gave him?" Peter nodded, "Isn't it cool?"

Peter nodded hesitantly, "Yeah. He told us that you had found out that you're a Pheonix Animagus. Sirius was jealous."

Harry's eyes widened. He hadn't thought of the possibility of James telling them about his form! He would have to wipe Peter's memory of that. If Voldemort found out, it was ruined.

"Yeah." Harry said nervously, "It took a while to figure it out but Fawkes helped. He confirmed it."

"That's interesting." Peter said, sounding slightly jealous, "What do you think about it?"

Harry forced his smile to stay on his face. He really hated talking to Pettigrew. He had managed to mostly avoid it for most of the school year, "I think it's really cool. The only bad part about it is the risks."

"Risks?" Peter nearly yelped, startled.

Harry inwardly smirked, "Yeah. The risks about becoming one. You could get stuck like the animal or be stuck like part of an animal! You could actually permanently damage yourself by doing this. Especially when you're so young. Most people are at least out of school when they become one and have a teacher."

Peter's eyes were wide now, "Really?" He squeaked.

Harry nodded seriously, "Oh yeah. It's very dangerous."

Peter gulped, "Well, I'm sure nothing will go wrong."

He inwardly cursed. Harry had hoped this would make Peter not do it, "Aren't you afraid of the risks?"

"Well, I-I'm sure James and Sirius know what they're doing and they'll help me." Peter said, looking slightly nervous but more confident.

Harry sighed, "I'm not going to become one." He hoped this would work, "It's too dangerous. Besides, I'm way too young."

"I'm older so I am!" Peter said.

"You're not that older." Harry pointed out.

Peter shifted nervously, "I'm still going to do it."

Harry groaned silently, "Well. Okay then." He said, "It was nice talking to you." He lied.

The time traveller walked away until Peter couldn't see him and then slipped his wand out. Looking around the room quickly to make sure that no one could see, he quickly cast the confundus charm on Peter and sat back by him. He was glad that he had practiced that charm privately.

"What were we talking about?" Peter asked him.

Harry smiled, "You were just saying that you weren't going to become an Animagus because of the risks."

* * *

Harry spent the rest of the day in the Room of Requirement, thinking about what he had to do.

Peter, Sirius, and Remus all knew he was a Pheonix Animagus now. While he trusted Sirius and Remus, he didn't trust Peter. Peter could tell Voldemort and then the whole plan was ruined.

He could always wipe Peter's memory but James, Sirius, or Remus could still bring it up and tell Peter. Then they would notice something was off since they would know that James told Peter.

He had convinced Peter not to become an Animagus though. That was good. Now Peter couldn't use his Rat form on anything.

However, something had hit him. Right before he had gone to the room, he had talked with his friends. Richardson had approached them and Ellie had ended up yelling at him and had to have them hold her back from jumping on him.

She really needed to learn to control her temper.

Ellie had muttered that Richardson was going to end up a Death Eater and Alice had told her that he was only twelve and they couldn't know that.

That had stuck with him as he came into the Room of Requirement. While what Alice said was slightly different, Harry found the same meaning. He couldn't judge the people now on how they became as an adult.

He could try and keep Peter Pettigrew from becoming a Death Eater!

Why hadn't he thought of that? If Peter just didn't become a Death Eater, none of this would have happened.

However, he still wasn't going to let Peter become an Animagus and he was going to find away to keep Peter from not mentioning his Animagus form. He wasn't going to take any chances.

Maybe an oath?

That sounded about right! And once he 'found out' about Remus' lyncanthropy, he could have everyone swear an oath not to reveal that so the incident with Snape wouldn't happen.

That sounded like a good idea. He could get them to all swear an oath to never reveal each other's Animagus forms so no one could find out.

Harry smirked as he sat on the couch. After a whole day of thinking, he had figured out how to make sure his Animagus form wasn't revealed to anyone _and _realised that he needed to try and keep Peter from becoming a Death Eater.

Stopping Peter from becoming a Death Eater would automatically fix so many things!

He mentally added those few more things to his mental checklist on what he needed to do.

He still had a lot to do but he would do it when the time was right.

* * *

For the next week, Harry did his best to be nicer to Peter. Deciding not to think of the boy as the man who betrayed his parents and Sirius, ressurected Voldemort, and killed Cedric, it was a lot easier. While they weren't friends, they weren't enemies either.

Harry just hoped that that would work. He hoped that he would be able to stop Peter from taking the Dark Mark.

He'd also got an update on Ellie's, Alice's, and Will's search on finding their Animagus forms.

Still no improvement. Will knew he was a land animal and Ellie and Alice had no idea.

Although, Ellie said she felt something now. She just didn't really know what.

He hadn't heard anything from James or Sirius but he knew that they wouldn't have gotten anywhere yet.

Harry was currently sitting in the stands of the Quidditch pitch as Gryffindor faced off against Slytherin.

It was the last match of the season and Harry still hadn't really gotten used to sitting in the stands and not playing in the match.

A Hufflepuff named Lucy Tyler was the announcer for this game. Harry didn't like her as much as Lee Jordan or Luna but she was okay.

"Gryffindor Chaser James Potter races down the pitch with the quaffle as the Beaters shield him. He shoots. It's blocked by Slytherin Keeper Kyle Jefferson."

Harry's eyes scanned the pitch and quickly settled in on the snitch. It was either a lot easier to find it from the stands or he had somehow become better from coming back in time.

Harry decided it was the first.

"What are you doing?" Remus nudged Harry.

Harry's eyes stopped following the racing snitch and he turned towards Remus, "I was just looking for the snitch." He answered.

"I can never find it. Did you?" Remus asked him.

Harry nodded, "Yeah." His eyes quickly scanned the pitch again. He spotted the glint of gold by the Slytherin Seeker's ear. It reminded him slightly of Second year when the snitch flew by Draco Malfoy's ear and he didn't notice, "It's right there, by the Slytherin's Seeker's ear. I can't believe she hasn't noticed."

It took Remus a second to find it and he laughed, "She's too busy watching the other players to notice. You would be a good Seeker."

Harry smiled, "I'm going to try out next year." He said, "The Gryffindor Seeker is graduating next year anyway."

"He isn't really that good." Will said, coming into the conversation. While Will wasn't that good at flying, he did like to watch the matches, "The only reason we beat Hufflepuff was because the Chasers managed to get enough points before the Hufflepuff seeker caught the snitch. And we beat Ravenclaw because the Ravenclaw Seeker was hurt."

Harry nodded in agreement, "He looks like he would be a better Beater."

"He probably would." Remus said, "James said that the captain chose him for Seeker because he's the Captain's friend. James was rather annoyed about that."

Harry nodded, "He told me about that."

"Slytherin Beater Kyle Kennedy hit a bludger towards Gryffindor Chaser James Potter and the Chaser just barely dodges it."

Harry cheered a Gryffindor Beater threw a buldger at Kyle Kennedy, even though the Beater dodged it.

"Go Gryffindor!" Harry heard Ellie shouting from behind him.

"Slytherin Seeker Hattie Hall has seen the snitch."

Harry rolled his eyes. It took her that long to see the snitch by her ear. However, before the girl could grab it, it zoomed away, followed by Hattie Hall.

The Gryffindor Seeker, Mark Watson, was following at a slower pace. It was still fast but Hattie Hall was a lot faster.

"Slytherin wins, 190 - 80." Lucy Tyler announced a minute later. All of Gryffindor sighed as Slytherin cheered loudly. Slytherin had won the Quidditch Cup.

* * *

**AN: This chapter is not beta'd. I just got my internet back from when it went out on Sunday so I haven't had time to send it to my beta. I'm going to send it to her, though, and edit this later.**

**I'M SO GLAD MY INTERNET'S BACK! I MISSED IT SO MUCH!**

**Tell me what you think!**

**Oh yeah, what character of my story do you want to see more of? **

**I will give a spoiler to my 300th reviewer!**

**Until next chapter,**

**HPM**


	19. Chapter 18

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

* * *

"Harry! Get up! We're late!" Will furiously shook Harry awake.

He sleepily opened his eyes to see the entire room in panic, everyone running around, digging through their things.

Once it finally clicked about why they were doing this, he quickly got up and grabbed his robes before hastily getting ready.

Once he was ready, he could have hit himself.

It was Saturday!

He rolled his eyes, getting a suspicion as to why they were freaking out.

"Uh, guys? It's Saturday." He called into the room full of panicking first years.

They all froze and stared at him, a look of realization crossing their faces, "You're kidding." Rory muttered darkly, glaring at the door.

"Nope." Harry replied, amused.

Vance growled, "I'm going to kill you're brother, Harry!"

Yep. His theory was right.

Will laughed softly, "We shouldn't have listened to the Marauders."

He rolled his eyes, "Of course you shouldn't."

Vance groaned, "I'm never going to be able to get back to sleep now."

Harry just grinned at them, "Well, I'm hungry. I'm going to go get breakfast."

"Good idea." Rory exclaimed, "I hope we see James on the way. I'm so going to hex him."

The four first year Gryffindor boys opened the door and headed down to the common room. However, before they made it there, Vance stopped walking.

"What is it?" Rory asked.

Vance seemed to be in thought before he turned around and ran back down the hall and knocked on the second year dorms.

Realization engulfed Harry as he rolled his eyes. Sirius opened the door, wearing his robes but seemed to have fallen back asleep after telling the first years they were late. Before he even realized what was going on, Vance sent a tripping jinx toward him, and he fell over.

Vance smirked and ran back to the other boys who laughed.

"Hey!" Sirius shouted at them, "That wasn't very nice!"

Harry laughed, "Neither was making us think it was a school day!" He called back.

Sirius stomped his foot on the ground childishly before closing the door.

* * *

"Have you made any progress with becoming an Animagus?" Will asked Harry as they sat in the Room of Requirement.

He shook his head, "Nope. Nothing."

Will had an annoyed look on his face, "I still have no idea what I am."

"I'm sure you'll figure it out." Harry told him, "Are you ready for exams?"

"Definitely." Will grinned happily, "Practicing in this room really helped a lot. The only one I'm not sure about History of Magic but I'm sure I can get through that. You'll probably be the only one who gets a perfect score in that class."

"I'm not sure I will." Harry replied with a laugh, "It's so hard to concentrate in that class."

"Of course you will!" Will asked, sounding shocked, "I don't think you've ever made less than an O on any of the tests."

Harry grinned, "While that is true, I've heard Exams are harder."

Will grimaced, "Well, then I'm sure to fail."

"You can borrow my notes." Harry said, pulling his notes out of his bag and handing them over.

"This is perfect!" Will said flipping through them, "How do you take notes in that class?"

Harry shrugged, "While Binns speaks, I just write notes out of the actual textbook instead. It's a lot more interesting that way. Your snores get distracting though."

Will laughed slightly, "Shut up." He said, shaking his head.

"Make me!" Harry grinned.

It was times like this that he realized how much he really loved his friends. He'd forgotten how fun it was to actually be a kid. Even though he was technically eighteen, he felt like a kid now. He didn't really feel like an eighteen year old.

There was a long pause and then, "It's really weird to think that this year is almost over." Will said softly, flipping through the notes, "It feels like just yesterday, I was at the orphanage with no friends or family. Now I'm a wizard at Hogwarts with a father and the three best friends in the whole world."

Harry smiled faintly. He remembered when he thought something similar. He could remember his first year starting to end and all he could think about was how much everything had changed. He had gone from being an abused child with no friends and the only family he had hated him to the most popular boy in the Wizarding World with two best friends.

Now he was a normal wizard, if a bit weirdly knowledgeable for his age, with three wonderful friends.

"It is odd." He agreed with his friend, "A lot had happened in the past year."

A minute later, Will frowned and asked, "Harry, do you promise we'll always be friends?"

The brown haired boy looked seriously worried that there would be a time when they weren't friends anymore.

Harry couldn't believe the boy would even ask that.

Harry smiled, "Of course! I promise."

Will smiled brightly at Harry's answer and they fell into a comfortable silence for a few minutes.

"So, do you think this upcoming war's going to be bad?"

Harry frowned in thought. On one hand, it had been pretty bad the first time around but on the other, Harry was going to do his best to stop it.

"I have no idea." He answered truthfully, "The Death Eaters sound really powerful though."

They were definitely powerful. Harry had to give them that.

Will frowned, "Dang. You usually know everything."

Harry laughed.

* * *

"If you wake me up again tomorrow, I will hex you." Will warned as they walked through the moving staircases to get back to the dorm. The Junior Marauders had joined up with the Marauders as they were heading back after Dinner.

"Don't worry. We never do a prank twice!" Sirius smirked, "So you're safe."

"For now." James whispered mysteriously.

Ellie hit him on the back of his head.

"Ow! What was that for?" He asked.

Ellie smirked at him, "That was for being a prat."

James pouted.

"Are you ready for your exams?" Remus asked them all.

"Yep.", "Totally.", and "I think so." were the responses.

"What about you guys?" Harry asked.

They all looked at each for a moment before Sirius spoke, "We're all going to nail this."

"They did amazing on the exams last year." Remus said seriously, "They barely even had to try. I was really annoyed. I always have to study a lot."

"They sound like Harry." Alice said with a grin.

"Hey! Don't compare me to them!" Harry said jokingly.

James and Sirius pouted for a moment before laughing.

"Yeah!" James said, "And don't compare us to him!"

Harry childishly stuck his tongue out at them. He was around James and Sirius way too much lately and is seemed that they were rubbing off on him.

"Oh! Look who it is."

Harry groaned out loud and turned towards the source of the words. Richardson, Crabbe, and Crouch stood behind them on the steps, smirking.

"What do you want, Richardson?" Ellie asked through clenched teeth, glaring at the boy in front of her.

Harry couldn't believe that they would try something in front of the Marauders.

"Oh, nothing." Richardson spoke absently, twirling his wand, "I just wanted to say hi to my favorite group of people."

Ellie clenched her fists.

He smirked at Harry, "So, how are Mummy and Daddy doing?"

Out of the corner of his mouth, Harry saw James' mouth drop open in shock and outrage. Harry didn't even know that his excuse was public knowledge.

He simply raised an eyebrow at Richardson. His parents were alive anyway.

"Oh, they're doing fine. Far, far away from the likes of you." He responded.

Alice giggled slightly at Harry's response but looked extremely angry at Richardson.

Richardson turned red, "Your father was a blood traitor, and your mother was a filthy muggle!" He spat, "They deserved to die."

"At least they weren't Death Eater's." Harry said, glaring at him slightly.

"Burn!" Sirius grinned.

Richardson smirked, "The Death Eater's have it all right though, don't they? Killing off all those unfit to be Wizards. LIke all of you, for example."

"You know what, Richardson!" Ellie exclaimed, "Just go away and leave us alone!"

"I don't think I will!"

James stepped in front of Harry, "Leave. Now."

"Or what?" Richardson smirked at him.

"I'll hex you." James threatened.

Richardson rolled his eyes, "Yeah right." He scoffed.

James had his wand out and was pointing it at him, "Try me."

Richardson gulped at the sight of the wand, "I'm not leaving because you said so." He snapped, "I'm leaving because I can't stand the sight of you any more."

The three Slytherins stalked up the stairs.

"Merlin! I hate him!" Ellie exclaimed, stomping her foot in outrage.

"Just ignore him." Harry shrugged, "It's not like he can do any real damage."

They walked up the steps in silence, most seething in outrage because of Richardson.

Everything suddenly seemed to happen in slow motion. James, Sirius, Peter, and Alice were already off the steps when they started to move. Their eyes widened in shock and they all tried to jump to the next floor.

Harry felt his feet land on the floor and he sighed in relief, automatically turning around to see if his friends made it. Remus landed beside him, tripping, and falling to the ground. Ellie landed gracefully on her feet but had an alarmed look on her face.

Will's feet landed on the very edge of the floor and he lost his balance. As Harry instinctively reached out for him, Will furiously tried to right himself, but it was no use. To the horror of all of his friends, he fell backwards and started to plummet to the floor below.

* * *

**AN: ...**

**I'm evil, aren't I?**

**Well, I added a scene with Will and Harry as requested... And then that happened at the end.**

**So... I updated a day early!**

** First years almost over.**

**Until Next Chapter,**

**HPM**


	20. Chapter 19

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. **

* * *

Panic coursed through Harry's veins as his best friend fell. Will's screams echoed off the walls. One thought went through Harry's head.

They were very high up. The landing would kill him.

His mind barely registered it as everyone yelled in horror, screaming for their friend.

His wand was in hand before he even knew it and he was leaning over the edge, desperately trying to figure out what spell he could use. His mind had gone blank. Nothing this serious had happened all year. Well, technically nothing had happened since twenty five years in the future.

He could see Will's screaming body falling, his robes billowing up as he fell.

"WILL!" Ellie shouted in fright, leaning over the edge and staring helplessly.

What could he do?

"WINGARDIUM LEVIOSA!"

The words did not come from Harry's mouth, but from one of his friends. He cursed himself for not thinking it.

Will's body stilled midair, floating close to the bottom of the stairs. Silence seemed to fill the castle.

Harry's head swiveled over to his side where he had heard the voice.

James had his wand out and looked to be concentrating hard.

Harry sighed in relief. James had saved Will's life.

"Lower him down slowly." He told James, realizing the boy was struggling to keep the spell up from such a distance.

The Marauder nodded stiffly and Harry looked down to see Will slowly being lowered to the ground. Alice shuddered when Will started moving again but looked extremely relieved.

When Will finally got to the ground, Harry heard everyone sigh in relief.

Harry quickly turned to his friends, "Someone get McGonagall. She'll want to know what just happened."

Remus and Peter nodded and dashed off to find the professor.

He was about to say something else when Ellie dashed down the stairs.

"It's going to take forever to get down there." Sirius complained, trying to lighten the mood although Harry could see that he was extremely pale.

"Ellie! Be careful!" Alice yelled, running after her.

It seemed to take forever for them to get down the stairs. Sirius had been right. By the time they arrived to Will's side, the boy was shaking, pale, and looked scared out of his mind.

"Will!" Ellie launched herself at him, engulfing the boy into a hug.

"Are you okay?" Harry asked him worriedly, his mind now going a thousand miles a second.

Will nodded shakily, "Yeah." He whispered in a frightened voice, "That was scary."

"Definitely," Sirius agreed, "Remus and Peter went to get Minnie. She would want to know this happened. They should really have charms on the stairs to prevent anyone from falling."

They had. Harry blanched as he realized that in his time, there were charms up to prevent this.

Had this happened in the original time line to cause the change? Had Will's death caused them to put up the charms to prevent another death?

Was this what killed Will in the original time line? Had James just saved Will from his original death?

"You mean there weren't any charms?" Asked Will, looking perplexed, "What stopped me, then?"

"James." Ellie answered, gesturing to the taller Potter boy who looked exhausted, "He cast Wingardium Leviosa and it stopped you before you hit the ground"

Will's eyes widened, "That's... amazing! That charm just saved my life. A first year charm."

Harry had a brief flashback of his original first year when Ron used the same charm to knock the troll out.

"I-I guess." James answered softly, "It was really hard though."

"I bet it was." Harry exclaimed, "You were casting at a long distance and trying to stop a falling human. I don't think many thirteen year old's can say they can do that."

James grinned weakly.

They heard footsteps and looked up to see McGonagall running down the hall with Remus and Peter. They didn't look nearly as exhausted as everyone else.

"Mr Anderson, are you okay?" McGonagall asked hurriedly.

Will softly answered, "I'm fine. James saved my life."

McGonagall's eyebrows rose in shock and she turned her head to James, "Is this true?"

"Yes." James nodded, now looking extremely proud after his original shock had passed, "I used Wingardium Leviosa and lowered him to the ground."

She looked impressed, "Twenty points to Gryffindor for quick thinking, Mr Potter. All eight of you, follow me to the Headmaster's office."

James grinned happily about the fact that he had earned his house twenty points. Although, Harry personally thought he deserved more.

"Why are we going to the Headmaster's office?" Alice asked Professor McGonagall, sounding worried, "We didn't do anything wrong."

"Don't worry Miss Smith. You have done nothing wrong. However, we need to report this to the Headmaster. Charms are supposed to be placed on these stairs to prevent this from happening and I don't know how someone managed to fall." McGonagall told them all.

Harry's eyes widened. Had someone taken down the charms? Had this happened on purpose?

"How did you get here so quickly?" Sirius asked his friend softly but with wide eyes as they walked to the Headmaster's office.

Remus put his finger to his lips, "It's a secret."

Sirius pouted and crossed his arms, "No fair. There's supposed to be no secrets between the Marauders."

The werewolf grinned, "I'll tell you in the common room."

Once they arrived at the gargoyles, McGonagall said, "Chocolate Frogs."

The gargoyles leapt aside and everyone but Harry stared incredulously.

"The Headmaster loves sweets." The professor explained, "Follow me."

Harry stepped onto the steps behind Professor McGonagall and followed the woman up the stairs to Dumbledore.

He hadn't seen Dumbledore much except at meals. Now that Harry was looking at him more closely, he could see that Dumbledore looked younger than he did when he died. Much younger.

He hadn't been through the Wizarding War's yet.

"What can I do for you, Minerva?" He asked the woman, temporarily ignoring the eight students.

Professor McGonagall answered, "There was an... accident. Mr Anderson fell off the stairs on the way back to their Common Room. Mr Potter, James Potter, cast the levitation charm and saved his life."

Dumbledore looked shocked, "That should be impossible. There's charms there to stop it."

"Obviously not." McGonagall answered stiffly.

Dumbledore pondered for a minute before turning to the eight students in his room, "Lemon Drop?"

Will, James, Sirius, Peter, and Ellie took one. The other's denied them. Harry had an inkling that they were laced with a potion to compel them to tell the truth.

"Tell me exactly what happened." Dumbledore spoke in an authorized, but kind, voice.

James immediately started on the tale, talking extravagantly about how he had saved Will from his ultimate death and making sure the part when he cast his spell was long and dramatic.

Once he finished, Dumbledore went back to his thinking before realization showed clearly on his face, "Ah, that's what happened."

"What is it?" McGonagall asked sharply.

Dumbledore looked slightly ashamed, "When the last Headmaster died, his charms must have died as well. I overlooked that."

"So there's supposed to be charms there but you forgot to put them there?" Harry asked.

"Yes, my boy."

Memories flew to Harry's mind at those two words and he pushed them away.

All of the sudden, Fawkes flamed into the room and stared at Harry incredulously.

'Young One, I heard what happened.'

Harry raised his eyebrows and his friends looked at him expectantly so he explained, "Fawkes says he heard what happened. How?"

'I overheard the portraits conversing about it.'

"He overheard the portraits talking about it." Harry repeated to his friends.

Dumbledore smiled at him pleasantly, "Ah, so you can converse with Fawkes as well. The rumors are true."

Harry nodded slightly at those words, "Yes sir."

"So Fawkes has already chosen who his new bond will be with when I die." The old man mused.

Fawkes sent some reassuring chirps through the room.

"Well, I must be off to replace those wards. I suggest you eight visit the Hospital Wing for a calming drought. You all look rather shaken up." Dumbledore's eyes twinkled as he left the room.

* * *

**AN: WOO! Will's alive!**

**So, James saved Will. Bet you all thought it would be Harry. Nope. It was James. :D**

**What do you guys think? Was that how Will died originally? Leave your opinion in a review!**

**Until Next Chapter,**

**HPM**


	21. Chapter 20

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. I only own my OC's.**

* * *

Exams were coming up and while Harry was relaxed about them, no one else was.

In fact, everyone was the opposite of Harry. Nervous, stressed, and over-worked.

Especially Remus. Whenever Harry visited the library, he saw Remus sitting at a table with a book opened in front of him and studying. Harry knew why. He was worried they would kick him out of Hogwarts if he failed his exams.

He also saw Lily and Severus in there a lot. They both looked stressed.

Even James and Sirius studied, although far less than Remus and Peter (who studied frequently with Remus so he would be able to pass). Harry rarely saw them reading something other than the Animagus book, so seeing them studying for something was a pleasant change.

The Junior Marauders were worried, but ready. Harry had them trained up so that he was nearly positive they would be able to pass the second year exams. He was fully positive that they would exceed on their first year exams.

The one he was training the hardest with was Ellie. He had no idea what happened to her. He knew what happened with Alice and that would hopefully be avoided and he was kind of sure that Will had died falling down the stairs, even if he wasn't certain. Ellie, however, was still a mystery.

"Ready?" Remus asked them all, looking nervous. It was the first day of exams and they were off to their first exam of the day. For the Marauders, it was Potions and for the Junior Marauders, it was Transfiguration.

"Definitely." Ellie grinned happily, "I'm going to nail this."

"I hope," Alice answered, looking just as nervous as Remus.

Will smiled reassuringly to Alice, "You'll be fine, Ali."

"Did you just call me Ali?" The brown haired girl asked incredulously, staring at him. He nodded happily, "Don't."

"Why not?" He asked with a pout.

"It's annoying."

Will rolled his eyes at his friend and turned towards Remus, "Anyways, I'm sure we'll all do great!"

Remus nodded, "Well, see you later."

"Bye!" The all spoke in unison as the Marauders headed off to Potions.

"We should get to Transfiguration," Harry told them all and the four friends headed on their way to class.

* * *

"That wasn't that hard!' Ellie said as they walked out of Transifiguration, "I'm positive I did great! I barely had any problems."

"Me as well," Will said happily, a slight skip in his steps as he walked. "McGonagall said I did phenomenal!" He paused and turned towards Harry. "What does phenomenal mean? It sounded good."

Harry grinned at him and explained, "It means really good."

Will smiled and did a little happy dance, "I was right!"

Alice rolled her eyes at him, "McGonagall said the same thing to me."

Once they reached the moving stairs, Harry saw Will start to look nervous as he moved stiffly on them, holding onto the railing.

"You okay?" Alice asked him as they walked.

"Yeah. Fine," Will said nervously.

Alice, Ellie, and Harry exchanged looks.

"Dumbledore put up charms, you know," Harry said, "You can't fall off anymore."

"I know," Will replied stiffly, "It's still.. freaky."

Ellie shrugged, "I guess it is."

Once they reached the end of the stairs, Will quickly jumped off to safety along with the rest of them.

"See? Nothing happened," Alice said soothingly.

Will laughed nervously, "Yeah. Nothing happened."

Harry eyed him for a minute before continuing walking. His mind had automatically went to the event that had happened a few days ago. He knew Dumbledore was more angry at himself that he showed. He had been around the man long enough to tell. He just didn't want to show it in front of the children.

That had thrown him off at first, thinking Dumbledore was pushing it off as nothing. However, the more he had thought about it, the more he realized Dumbledore was hiding his anger.

"What are you thinking about, Harry?" Alice asked him, breaking him out of his thoughts.

He jumped slightly and said softly to Alice, "Oh, nothing. Just thinking about the stairs incident."

"Ah," Alice replied, nodding, "Can I ask a question?"

"You just did," Harry answered jokingly, "But go ahead."

Alice laughed, "How do you know so much?"

He froze and in his panic, replied, "Eleventy Four."

Alice raised her eyebrows at him and laughed at his answer, forgetting what she had asked, "Eleventy Four?"

"Yes. Eleventy Four," Harry repeated, relief coming over him. It had worked with James and now Alice as well. He would have to remember that phrase.

"Alright." The brunette nodded, laughing, "You're weird."

He shrugged, thinking of Luna, "You're just as sane as I am."

Alice rolled her eyes, "Sure."

* * *

"I'm pretty sure I failed Potions." James groaned as he sat next to them at Lunch, "But Charms was easy."

"We had Transfiguration and Defense Against The Dark Arts." Ellie said with a smirk, "And we all did great in both."

She stuck her tongue out at him and he made a face. "We'll all do great in those two as well. I'm pants in Potions, though. Remus is the one who's good in that subject."

"I'm horrible in Potions as well," Alice said with a nod, and then spoke with an eye roll, "Ellie isn't that good in it either."

"Shut up," Ellie growled playfully, "Anyway's, what do you have next?"

"Defense," Remus answered.

"Then we're done with the day!" Sirius cheered as he dug into his food and mumbled something incomprehensible, and Harry couldn't tell what he said.

"What was that?" he asked with raised eyebrows.

Sirius chewed and swallowed before answering, "What do you guys have?"

"History of Magic," Will answered sullenly, "I don't know how good I'll do in that one."

"You'll be great," Alice told him encouragingly, "With all that studying you've been doing, you'll probably get an O."

"I'll fail that one for sure," James spoke with a nod, "There's no way I'll pass that."

Remus raised his eyebrows at him, "Then you need to study."

James and Sirius both wrinkled up their noses.

"But History of Magic is so boring," Sirius whined.

"Not when you read the textbook," Ellie said helpfully, although she looked amused at their horror at studying for the subject, "It's more interesting."

"I tried to tell them that but they didn't believe me!" Remus exclaimed.

Will grinned. "Well now you have three people telling you it's more interesting."

James scowled, "Alright. We'll study."

"Speak for yourself," Sirius laughed, although he did look as if he might read the book as well.

Harry rolled his eyes. "Read the book, Sirius. It will make the exam a whole lot easier."

* * *

Harry woke up with a gasp. He hated nights when he had nightmares. He wished he could just forget about everything that happened. It had been a year since the Final Battle! Why couldn't he forget about it all?

Although, he knew he couldn't just forget about it. He needed to remember the war if he wanted to stop it.

Harry heard someone quietly moving around and he pulled his curtains back nervously.

"Harry! I'm sorry. Did I wake you?" The person said.

"No. I woke up on my own accord. You didn't wake me, Will," Harry replied softly, "Why are you up?"

Will hesitated and countered, "Why are you up?"

"I asked you first."

The brown haired boy hesitated again, "I had a nightmare."

"Of what?" Harry asked with raised eyebrows.

"The stairs incident," Will answered tiredly, "I can't stop thinking about it. I almost died!"

"But you didn't," Harry said, unhelpfully.

"But I could have if James hadn't saved me," Will exclaimed, "I just narrowly survived."

Harry sighed, not really knowing what to say. "I understand. I think the same thing all the time about the w- fire."

He mentally chastised himself for almost saying The War.

"I forgot about that," Will said in a small voice. "I guess you would understand. How do you deal with it?"

He shrugged. "I just do. It happened and I can't erase it from my memory."

Will groaned and collapsed onto his bed. He spoke sarcastically, "You're so helpful."

"Aren't I?" Harry said with a small laugh.

* * *

**AN: I hope you liked this chapter! Sorry that I posted it a little later in the day than usual. It's been storming all day and whenever it storms, my internet get's knocked out. It's really annoying.**

**So, fun fact about me, stories that have no aftermath annoy me. Like, if something bad happens to a character, especially a young one, and they walk away like nothing happened, it annoys me. That's why Will is kind of traumatized by his near death. I mean, he's only twelve.**

**Is there a character you wish to see more of? I'll add more of them if people want me to. **

**Year one is nearly over! I think I'll continue to post year two on this story as well so I will not start another story for year two. I have more plans for year two than I did for year one. Although, year three has the most plans so far and one of the biggest plots.**

**THANKS TO MY NEW BETA READER, WEB OF OBSIDIAN!**

**Until Next Chapter,**

**HPM**


	22. Chapter 21

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

* * *

"Alright. Ready?"

They all sat in the common room. It was the last day of school and they had gotten their exams scores back. They had all decided to open the letters together to see what they had made.

Harry looked at all of them. Remus looked the most nervous at of them all. James and Sirius were looking at their letters warily, and Peter looked scared to touch his. Will rubbed his neck nervously but other than that, he looked okay with opening his. Ellie had put on an eager face but Harry could see a little doubt in her eyes while Alice took deep breaths as she held hers.

"Ready." They said in unison, although some of their voices shook.

Harry started, not really nervous at all, and opened his letter. Seeing him opening it, the others followed suit.

Harry looked at his with a small grin. He had O's in everything. He didn't doubt he would but it was still cool to look at since he'd never gotten all O's before. That was Hermione.

"Yes!" Will exclaimed happily from beside Harry, "E's in Potions, History of Magic, and Herbology. O's in Transfiguration, Charms, Defense Against the Dark Arts, and Astronomy."

"Great job!" Alice spoke with a grin. "I got an A in Potions, E in History of Magic, and O's in everything else."

"All O's except for Potions and History of Magic. Those are E's," Ellie told them all, looking disappointed that she hadn't managed all O's.

James looked at Harry, "What about you?"

"You first." Harry said with a grin.

The older Potter pouted but said, "A in Potions and History of Magic, E in Charms, Defense, Herbology, and Astronomy, and an O in Transfiguration."

Sirius piped up after James finished, "A in Potions and History of Magic, E in everything else except Defense which I got an O in!"

"Remus?" Will asked curiously.

"O's in everything but History of Magic and Herbology which are E's." Remus replied with a small smile.

Sirius and James grinned at their friend and Peter answered sullenly, "A's in everything but History of Magic which is a P."

Alice smiled sympathetically, "That's still good."

Peter shrugged. James decided to change the subject and said, "Now Harry!"

"All O's" Harry replied, showing him his scores.

"Of course." Ellie groaned, falling onto a chair. Harry smiled sheepishly at her. Ellie was very competitive and had been trying to beat Harry in classes. Harry couldn't help that he knew it all, though. He'd already been through the classes already.

He turned to James who was staring at the scores with an open mouth, "No way," He breathed before his face broke into a grin, "I knew you were smart but I didn't know you were this smart!"

"Good job, Mini-James!" Sirius patted him on the shoulder before making a serious face and saying, "We'll have to work on you more. At this rate, you'll be a prefect!"

"That wouldn't be bad." Alice said with a roll of her eyes, "Prefect is a good thing."

"Sure." James and Sirius spoke in unison wearing matching grins.

Harry rolled the parchment pack up and placed it in his pocket, "So, you guys ready to go home for the summer?"

For once, this was something that James and Sirius did not react the same way. James nodded happily while Sirius scowled and shook his head, saying, "Nope. I want to stay at Hogwarts."

James winced slightly and gave him a sympathetic smile, "You can come over to my house this summer."

Sirius brightened slightly, "Thanks, mate!"

* * *

"FIRST YEAR IS OVER!" Ellie yelled at the top of her lungs as the door to the Room of Requirement closed. She threw her bag that carried a few books in it onto a comfortable chair by a fireplace and threw her arms into the air with a cheer.

The other three cheered with her and sat down around the fire.

"So, what are you guys doing over the summer?" Alice asked them as she sat on the couch next to Harry and opened up her Animagus book.

"Mum and Dad are taking Michael and I to America for a few weeks!" Ellie said excitedly, bouncing in her seat, "We're visiting some cousins."

"I've never been to America before." Alice said happily, "You have to Owl me and tell me how it was."

Ellie grinned at her best friend, "I will. Don't worry. What about you guys?"

"I'll be spending a lot of time with my dad. That's all I know, though," Will answered, "Nothing really interesting."

"Nothing that I know of," Harry replied honestly.

Alice answered, "Not much either. My grandmother is coming over and is staying for the entire month of August."

Ellie nodded, "Well I hope you all have a good summer anyway." She paused for a moment and thought of what else to say. "Oh! Have you guys gotten anywhere in your transformation?"

Harry shook his head. "Nope. I still haven't gotten anywhere in actually transforming. Have you figured anything out about what you are?"

She smiled proudly, "I'm some type of air creature! I figured that out a few days ago."

"That's great, Ellie!" Alice grinned, "I'm a land animal."

Will frowned slightly at them, "I haven't gotten anywhere else. All I know is I'm a land animal and that's all I've known for a while."

"You'll get there." Harry told him, "Just have patience."

"Now all three of us are equal! Only Harry's ahead!" Alice grinned, "I can't wait to find out what I am!"

Will and Ellie nodded in agreement. Harry smiled softly as he looked at his friends. He was glad he had them. If he didn't, this whole thing would have probably gone a lot worse. He would probably still be sulking about his friends' deaths even though they weren't even alive yet. He knew that they would never be his friends again but he had Alice, Ellie, and Will.

"Are you going to try out for the Quidditch team next year?" Ellie asked Harry curiously.

"Yeah, I am. I'm going to try out for Seeker." He answered her question.

Ellie grinned, "I'm trying out too. Although, I'm trying out for Chaser."

"That's brilliant!" Harry said with a smile.

* * *

Harry sat down next to James at the end of year feast in the Great Hall. James was grinning from ear to ear, looking eager for the food to show up so he could eat.

Sirius sat across from James, looking sullen about the fact that they were going home. Remus and Peter looked happy though, as did Harry's three friends.

"Last year's end of year feast was amazing." James told Harry happily, "It's even better than the start of year feast!"

Harry didn't get to reply, though, because Dumbledore stood up, automatically making the entire hall get quiet.

"We end yet another school year today. I know you would all like to eat instead of listening to an old man but I have a few things to announce before we can all eat. House points!"

Everyone in the hall grinned at this and eagerly waited to find out who had won.

"In fourth place we have Hufflepuff with three hundred and fifty three points."

Polite applause came from most of the people in the hall and the Hufflepuffs looked slightly sullen but they also didn't really look like they minded much.

"In third, Slytherin, with three hundred and ninety two house points."

The Slytherins looked annoyed at being in third place.

"In second, Ravenclaw! Ravenclaw house stands at four hundred and thirty three."

Ravenclaw house cheered, although some looked disappointed at not getting first place. The Gryffindor's were grinning happily, knowing ther victory.

"And Gryffindor house is in first with four hundred and seventy five points!"

A loud, almost endless, cheer came from the Gryffindor house as the housemates celebrated. Harry clapped loudly, a grin on his face. James and Sirius were probably the loudest of everyone as they whooped loudly and even danced a little. Harry could have sworn he heard someone yelling, 'First time in six years!'.

McGonagall had a smug smirk on her face.

"Yes, yes. Congratulations Gryffindor." Dumbledore said with a smile, "Now, eat up!"

The Headmaster clapped his hands and food appeared in front of them.

James and Sirius gave a small cheer and started to pile food on their plate.

"I don't know how we won with all the points you guys have lost." Lily said to the Marauders.

James grinned as he did every time Lily spoke willingly to them which hadn't happened much, "That's probably Harry's doing." He told her, "Did you know he got all O's on his exams?"

Lily turned to Harry with raised eyebrows, "Really? So did I!"

Harry grinned, "That's brilliant!"

"So," James said, trying to get Lily's attention back on himself, "What are you doing this summer?"

"Nothing that I know of," she replied with a small frown.

"I'm not doing anything either." James said.

Lily nodded, "Well, I'll see you guys next in September."

"Yeah," James said, "See you in September."

* * *

"You have all your stuff, right Elizabeth? Cause mum will kill me if you don't," Michael Abbott asked, peering into the train car.

"Yes Mikey," Ellie said with a small glare, "I have everything."

"Don't call me that!" The fourth year said defiantly, "It's Michael not Mikey. I thought you knew that."

Ellie rolled her eyes, "I'll only call you Michael if you call me Ellie."

"Fine," said Michael with a shrug, "Well I've got to get back to my friends. See you later, Ellie."

"Bye, Michael," Ellie answered, closing the door as he left.

James spoke up with a confused look on her face, "Your full name is Elizabeth?"

Ellie nodded with a laugh, "You didn't know?"

"No! I've only ever heard people call you Ellie!" he defended.

"They called me Elizabeth when I was sorted."

"I didn't listen," he admitted sheepishly, "I didn't find it very interesting."

Ellie just shook her head with a laugh. All eight of them were squished into one compartment.

"James," Sirius spoke in a whiny voice, "Can I hide in your trunk so I can go home with you?"

James laughed and shook his head, "Nope. It would be way too heavy and your parents would probably come barging down our door looking for you."

Sirius pouted and turned to Harry, "Mini-James! You're nice, right? Can I hide in your trunk?"

"Sorry Sirius. I can't do that," Harry said apologetically.

The soon to be dog Animagus groaned, "Just great. Great! My parents are going to be so annoying this summer."

"Why?" Alice asked curiously.

Sirius grinned slightly, "I signed up for Muggle Studies. And Care of Magical Creatures as well."

"Why will your parents not like that?" Will asked with a slight frown.

"They're pureblood fanatics, remember?" Sirius said with a scowl, not directed at Will but his parents.

"What did you guys sign up for?" Ellie asked James, Remus, and Peter.

James answered first, "We're all taking Care of Magical Creatures and I'm also taking Muggle Studies along with Sirius. I want to impress Lily! I was going to take Arithmancy as well because Lily's in it but Remus told me stalking is bad."

Ellie and Alice giggled at that and Harry grinned, "Well, I have to agree with Remus on that."

James stuck out his tongue and Remus answered Ellie's question, "Care of Magical Creatures, Arithmancy, and Ancient Runes."

"Care of Magical Creatures and Divination." Peter answered as well.

"I heard Divination is an easy A." Will piped up.

James nodded, "Yeah. It's by Professor Quincey and I heard she's very easy to fool."

"Is she an actual Seer?" Harry asked curiously, thinking of Professor Trelawney. While the professor made two real prophecies and technically was a Seer, she wasn't a very good one.

"Yeah, she's a Seer. A good one as well," Remus said, "She's just fooled easily."

Harry nodded, "Oh."

"Yeah, we pranked her once." James grinned, "She never found out who did it."

They sat in silence for a while. Remus and Alice both took out books while the other six played a game of exploding snap.

After a few hours, the train came to a stop and they packed everything up.

Sirius sighed sadly, looking out the window and searching the many people for his parents. He turned to James, obviously having found them, and said, "I'm definitely coming over as much as I can this summer."

James grinned, "My parents won't mind."

"You have to come over some time in the Summer," Ellie was telling Alice, "And you better write."

"I will." Alice grinned, hugging her friend.

Ellie grabbed her trunk and headed out the door but she paused, turning around and saying loudly, "You're all invited over at my house sometime this summer!"

"Same for us," James said, gesturing to himself and Harry, "You're all invited to our house as well."

They all grinned. "And you guys better write or I'll go insane," Remus said seriously.

"What Remus said," the Heir to the Black family said loudly, "I better have a letter from each of you by next week or I'll prank you when we come back to Hogwarts."

"Don't worry, Sirius. I'll be sure to." Will said with a smile.

"GROUP HUG!" James shouted, pulling the closest people near him (Which happened to be Remus and Harry) into a hug and gesturing for the others to come in.

They all grinned and hugged each other, giving off goodbyes and promises to write before piling off the train.

"See you later." Harry waved to his friends before going off with James to find Charlus and Dorea.

He spotted them quickly, giving them each a hug. A gigantic smile was painted on his face as he hugged them. He had missed them and he couldn't wait for this summer.

Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted Sirius going over to his family. The upcoming third year Gryffindor ruffled his brothers hair, who scowled. His parents glared at him and his mother, who Harry remembered really well from her portrait, starting ranting about something that Harry couldn't understand.

"Got all your stuff?" Dorea asked them both. They nodded in affirmation, "Good. Let's go home."

Harry smiled, sparing one last glance at the Hogwarts express before following his family.

* * *

**AN: END OF FIRST YEAR! *cries* This story has gotten so many followers, favorites, reviews, etc. I seriously wasn't expecting this, guys. I was expecting maybe 40 reviews for this many chapters. NOT MORE THAN 400. **

**I love you guys so much.**

** I updated this exactly at Midnight on Friday!**

**Second year has Regulas coming to Hogwarts! More Sirius (which now includes Regulas) storyline. Severus and Lily will have more appearances. More Quidditch, more Death Eaters attacks, more friendship, and more protective James.**

**I will continue Second Year on this story so no new story will be posted. The next chapter will be posted next Friday (As always). We'll start the summer between first and second year. WOO! Summer is always fun.**

**Okay... I forgot to tell you guys last chapter that my 400th review will get a spoiler. Oops. I did send them a spoiler though. Congratulations Dolceconbrio. To make up for not saying it... My 425th reviewer will get a spoiler. And once I get 450, they will get one as well.**

**I will end this long Authors Note by saying, go like Xan's Fans on Facebook! Also, tell me in a review what you want to see more of!**

**Until Next Chapter,**

**HPM**


	23. YEAR 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter**

* * *

The Potter family walked together past a group of tents. James was bouncing excitedly as they walked, babbling all about Quidditch and the teams they would be watching later that day.

"Its Australia verses England!" James said for about the tenth time that day, "Australia has a really good Seeker but England's Chasers are better."

"I know," Harry said with a chuckle, "You've told me about ten times."

James pouted, "Well, did I tell you about Johnson?"

"Yes," Harry nodded, grinning at his brother.

"Darn," James mumbled, "What about-"

Harry rolled his eyes, "Scott. Yes. You already told me about him as well."

James, deciding to change the subject, turned to his mother, "Mum, Sirius is coming with his family also. He asked if he could stay with us during the Quidditch World Cup. Do you mind?"

"Of course not," Dorea said, knowing that Sirius and his family didn't get along, "He's always welcome."

"Thanks.' The upcoming third year grinned, grabbing Harry's arm and pulling him towards their tent once he spotted it.

Harry had been in a tent that was bigger on the inside before but that was in the first timeline. James didn't know that he had so he pulled his expression into one of shock and awe, similar to the one he had had when he had seen one the first time. He turned around, pretending to take in the sight of the tent.

"Wow." He spoke, forcing himself to sound stunned, "It's bigger on the inside!"

James grinned, "Magic, Harry. Magic."

Harry childishly stuck his tongue out at James, feeling more like an almost twelve year old than ever.

His summer had been wonderful so far. No one had visited yet but he had already gotten many Owls from his friends. Ellie had sent a postcard from America. She was at some place called Stone Mountain with her family and was apparently having a great time. Although, she did say that she had been exhausted after climbing it.

Will had sent many letters talking about the things he had done with his father. It seemed that Mr Anderson was doing his best to make it up to Will for missing out on eleven years of his life.

Alice's summer hadn't been as fun as everyone else, though. Her Owls mostly consisted of random things that went on around her house.

"Like it?" Charlus asked Harry, breaking him out of his thoughts.

He nodded, a grin etched onto his face, "Yes! It's so cool!"

Charlus smiled at him and ruffled his hair, "You go play with James. Have fun."

He grinned at the older man and walked out of the tent where James was using binoculars to look over the pitch excitedly.

Harry, seeing that James had not noticed he had walked up, tapped the boy on the shoulder. James spun around, the binoculars still on his eyes, and yelped in surprise, falling over.

The time traveler chuckled and helped his brother up.

"Come on! I can't look that bad up close," He joked.

James grinned sheepishly and shrugged, "Oh I don't know. You looked kind of scary."

Harry rolled his eyes and lightly punched James in the arm.

"Hey!" James said suddenly, looking past Harry, "There's Sirius!"

Turning around, Harry quickly caught sight of the grey-eyed boy with his family . It was fairly easy to spot them through the crowd of people.

When Sirius saw them, his face lit up and he instantly bolted away from his family and towards them, tackling James to the ground.

"Nice to see you, Sirius," James laughed as he stood up, "Have you had a lot of sugar lately?"

"Maybe," Sirius grinned mischievously. He pulled out some candy from his pockets and handed some to James, "Remus sent them."

James gladly took a liquorice wand, grinning happily.

"Want one, Mini James?" Sirius asked, holding the handful of candy out to him.

Harry rolled his eyes at the nickname that seemed to have stuck and took a piece as well, "Thanks."

"You're welcome," Sirius said before turning around to look at his family, "Can we get somewhere where I don't have to see them? Mother and Father are kind of angry with me again."

"Sure." James answered, glancing at the Black family, "Follow me."

Harry and Sirius followed the boy back to the Potter tent.

"Sirius is here!" James announced as they walked in. Although, he didn't give Charlus and Dorea time to say anything before he pulled Sirius and Harry over to the corner where their bags were. He dug into his own bag and pulled out a piece of parchment.

A very familiar piece of parchment.

Harry gaped at the parchment in amazement. While there was still a lot of things left off of it, the map of Hogwarts was nearly completed. No magic had gone into it yet, though.

"This is what I've done so far," James said, grinning like a maniac, "The Marauders Map!"

"Brilliant!" Sirius exclaimed, taking the map from James and scanning through it, "It'll be a lot easier to wander the castle with this."

Harry smiled at James, "That's really cool!"

"I know it is," James said smugly, "I haven't even completely finished the map and we're going to add some spells to it once we get to Hogwarts! This map will be amazing!"

Harry nodded, feeling dazed, "I bet it will be."

* * *

"Harry! Are you packed?" Dorea called up the stairs.

Harry quickly closed his bag and called back, "Yeah, I'm done!"

"Well hurry up! We don't have all day," Dorea yelled jokingly.

With a grin, Harry picked up his trunk and ran out of his room, "I'm coming."

Upon reaching Dorea, he grinned up at her.

"Do you have everything?" She asked, "A shirt, trousers, underwear?"

Harry rolled his eyes, "I remembered everything, Aunt Dorea."

"Good," The woman smiled, "You remember the address?"

He nodded, "Yep."

"Alright. Have fun at Will's!" She smiled, kissing the top of his head.

Holding his bag, he climbed into the fireplace and took some floo powder from Dorea. He threw it down into the fireplace and yelled out the address to his best friend's house.

He stumbled out of the floo, still horrible at floo traveling, and smiled at Will who was waiting excitedly in front of the fireplace.

"Hi Harry!" He grinned happily, "How was the World Cup?"

Harry smiled at his excitable friend, "It was good. Australia won, though."

"I heard about that. Their seeker caught the snitch rather quickly, right?"

"Yep," Harry nodded, "James was rather upset."

Will grinned, "I bet he was. Come on. Bring your stuff to my room."

Harry followed the brown haired boy down the hallway, looking at the pictures on the wall. He saw a few of Will and even a few of Will's father and another lady that looked like she could be Will's mother. He quickly realized that it must be who she was.

Will's room was nice. It was all red and gold and very roomy. A large, moving picture was hung on the wall of Harry, Alice, Ellie, and Will and another picture on his side table was of Will and his father.

"Nice room," Harry commented as he sat his bag on Will's red and gold bed.

"Thanks!" Will grinned happily, "So, how's your summer going?"

* * *

Harry sat on his bed with a journal laid out in front of him.

He had been writing things in the journal for the entire summer, having charmed it before they left Hogwarts so that only he could read out of it. The journal was for the purpose of planning out what he still needed to do.

'Locket Horcrux - Befriend Regulus - Spy?'

'Ring Horcrux - find out how to apparate without ministry finding out - apparate to Gaunt Shack and find it.'

'Diary Horcrux - Malfoy Manor? - Possibly in Voldemort's possession.'

'Cup Horcrux - Lestrange Vault? – Possibly in Voldemort's possession.'

'Befriend Severus Snape and Regulus Black.'

'Become an Animagus.'

'Help Will, Ellie, and Alice become Animagi.'

'Train Marauders and Junior Marauders - Possibly Lily, Severus, and Regulus.'

'Keep Peter from becoming a Death-Eater.'

'Kill Voldemort.'

'Save James, Lily, Will, Alice, Ellie, Regulus, etc.'

'STOP THE WAR!'

Harry read through the list over and over again. He hoped he didn't forget anything.

* * *

"Happy Birthday, Harry/Mini-James!"

Harry jerked awake as James and Sirius ran into his room. He was momentarily panicked, having been in the middle of a nightmare, before he realized it was just his brother and his brother's best friend.

And it was his birthday!

He grinned. He was twelve today. Although, he was really nineteen. However, Harry had decided to think of himself as the age everyone thought him to be. It was easier.

"Thanks, James, Sirius," He grinned at him and jumped out of bed.

James grinned happily, "Come on! You're going to love what Mum and Dad got you!"

"I'm sure I will," He said as he followed James down to the kitchen where Dorea had made pancakes.

When James and Sirius saw the pancakes, they instantly sat down in front of their plates and dug in. Harry, however, was much more polite as he greeted both the adults in the room before sitting down and eating.

"Happy Birthday, Harry," Dorea smiled at him and Charlus repeated it.

He smiled at both of them, "Thank you."

"Your friends will be arriving shortly. Remus and Peter are coming over as well." Charlus said, making James and Sirius grin.

"Great!" Harry exclaimed happily. He'd seen Will often but not Alice and Ellie. He couldn't wait to see his friends again.

* * *

Harry smiled happily as he opened the broom-shaped package. A broom! They'd actually gotten him a broom!

He wasn't expecting that.

"Thank you!" He exclaimed excitedly, "Thank you so much."

"You're welcome," Dorea smiled warmly.

Charlus grinned, "Now you have a broom for Quidditch!"

"We're so going to win the Quidditch cup!" Sirius smiled ecstatically, turning to Remus, "You should have seen him! He caught the snitch in like… three minutes when we played! He was like lightning on the broom!"

"Really?" Will asked curiously, "I wasn't told this."

Harry blushed, "It wasn't as amazing as he's making it seem to be."

"Yeah right!" James said, "With him, we're going to ground all the other teams into the dirt!"

Ellie grinned, "I can't wait to see that. Michael will be so annoyed. He was hoping Hufflepuff would win this year."

"There's no way they will now," James smiled, "Not for the next six years at least."

Harry looked like a tomato and he could see Remus and Alice trying not to laugh at his embarrassment. He stuck his tongue out at them.

* * *

Harry grinned as he flew high in the air on a broom, zooming past Sirius.

His green eyes scanned the pitch quickly and observantly, looking for the golden snitch. He was racing with James and Sirius to see who could get it first as Charlus and Dorea watched them.

Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted a glint of gold and raced towards the snitch.

He could hear Sirius yell in surprise since they had barely started flying as he dashed towards it. He stretched his hand out and pushed his broom to go faster. The fluttering snitch raced away but Harry was right behind it. He inched closer and closer until his hand closed around the golden snitch.

Grinning in triumph, he swiftly turned around and held up his arm in victory.

Sirius was gaping at him but James was grinning wildly.

"But... How? We were only flying for like, three minutes!" Sirius exclaimed, looking thoroughly shocked.

James whooped, "We'll definitely win the Quidditch cup this year!"

Charlus and Dorea were clapping as the three boys flew down.

"That was spectacular,' Charlus grinned, "I don't think I've ever seen anyone catch the snitch that fast."

Sirius nodded in agreement, "I didn't think it was possible."

Grinning, Harry handed Charlus the snitch and the man pocketed it.

"We'll beat everyone!" James said happily, "No one will beat us. It will be the best Quidditch year Hogwarts has ever seen!"

Harry rolled his eyes at his brother, "Sure."

* * *

Staring fixedly at his journal, Harry's thoughts were swarming around like a tornado. How could he apparate to Gaunt Shack without anyone finding out?

He wanted to destroy the ring Horcrux before he went back to Hogwarts. Well, at least retrieve it. He probably couldn't destroy it until he was at Hogwarts but he couldn't get it once he was there. There were too many people who would notice if he left.

How could he apparate without the ministry knowing, though?

The ministry would know if he did and then he would be in big trouble. His entire cover would probably be blown. He needed to find a way to apparate without anyone finding out.

He groaned and collapsed onto his bed, staring miserably at the ceiling. How would he do this?

The flash of flames made Harry sit up quickly. Fawkes trilled at him.

'What's wrong, young one?'

Harry sighed but his hopes rose as he realized that Fawkes might know what to do, "I'm trying to find a way to apparate to Gaunt Shack without anyone finding out."

He spoke softly so no one could hear him.

Fawkes trilled, sounding amused, 'Young One, in case you have forgotten, I am a Phoenix.'

Harry nodded, looking confused, "I haven't forgotten. What does that have to do with anything?"

'I can just flash you there and back.'

He blanched and groaned, "Why didn't I think of that?"

Another trill came from Fawkes, 'Do not worry, Young One. I will help you get what you need.'

"Thanks, Fawkes," He smiled slightly and thought for a minute, "Alright, on Tuesday, can you come here and flash me to Gaunt Shack so I can get the ring Horcrux?"

'Of course. I'll be back on Tuesday. Do you need anything else?' Fawkes' voice asked in Harry's head.

He shook his head, "Nope. I'm good."

Fawkes trilled, "Alright. Goodbye, Young One."

"Bye, Fawkes."

* * *

Harry looked at the clock in his bedroom. It was two in the morning. That meant everyone should be asleep.

He turned towards his bed which he had arranged the blankets and pillows in a way that made it look like he was sleeping there. Checking over it one more time, he was sure that if anyone were to look in his room, they would think he was just sleeping.

Not even a minute later, Fawkes flashed in.

Harry smiled at the Phoenix.

"Ready, Young One?" Fawkes asked.

Harry nodded, "Ready."

He grabbed hold of Fawkes' feathers and felt the feathers grow hot before he was being pulling through a tube, much like apparition except warmer.

When his feet hit solid ground, he breathed a sigh of relief. He had been expecting something worse than just a warm apparition.

He looked around. He was standing in front of a small house which he knew was Gaunt Shack. He grinned widely but he was also extremely nervous. Dumbledore had ultimately died from this ring and If he died here, everything was over.

He turned to the Phoenix, "Fawkes, if I try and put the ring on, stop me. Do not let me put it on."

Fawkes trilled, "I will stop you if you try, Young One. Do not worry."

Harry nodded and quickly walked inside the run-down shack. The door opened with a creak and the entire shack was coated with a thin layer of dust.

His green eyes scanned the dusty shack much like they had scanned the pitch. He found the ring quickly. It was the only thing that didn't have dust covering it.

In an instant, he felt the curse on it pulling him in. An urge came from inside of him to put the ring on his hand and he was reaching out before he even knew it. All his thoughts left his mind except for one and that was to put the ring on. He didn't even think of why he wanted to do it, he just knew he needed to.

He lifted the ring off the dust covered table and was just about to put it on his finger when a strong, panicked voice entered his head.

'STOP.'

He nearly jumped out of his skin as his thoughts suddenly started moving again. He quickly pulled the ring away from his finger in horror, cursing himself.

Trying to forget what had just happened, he took the bag he was carrying with him and dropped the ring inside of it. He would destroy it when he got to Hogwarts.

* * *

Harry quietly opened the door to his brother's room and looked in to see James and Sirius meditating with their Animagus books opened in front of them.

The two upcoming third years had been working hard on becoming Animagi'. They were working harder than Harry was. Harry knew they desperately wanted to hang out with Remus during Full Moons to help him.

They'd already told him that they were getting close to discovering what they were. James had narrowed his options down to a few different species and Sirius knew he was some type of dog.

He closed the door without interrupting them. He had a feeling that not soon after they arrived back at Hogwarts, the two Marauders would know they were a Stag and a big, black, shaggy dog. Pretty soon, they would be out with Remus on Full Moons.

Harry himself had made progress on his transformation. He had successfully produced feathers on his arms. He was very proud of the fact that he had done this.

He couldn't wait until he could flame to places without Fawkes' help. It would be much easier to get the Horcrux's and anything else that he might need without using Fawkes.

A grin spread across his face at the progress he had made so far. At this rate, everything would go exactly as planned.

* * *

**AN: So, I decided to put most of the summer into one chapter. Next chapter they'll go back to Hogwarts but not much was supposed to happen this summer except getting the ring.**

**Once I get 500 reviews, I will give the 500th reviewer a spoiler!**

**Until Next Chapter,**

**HPM**


	24. Chapter 23

**_Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter_**

* * *

_Harry waved at Dorea and Charlus as the Hogwarts Express started to leave the station. He quickly clutched the enchanted bag that held the ring securely in it so no one but him could get into it. Once he was at Hogwarts, he was going to destroy it._

"So, year three," James grinned as he sat down with a grin, "And year two for you. This year will be great! I'm finally going to get to go to Hogsmeade! And start new classes. And you can get on the Quidditch Team and -"

"Hi Harry!" James was broken out of his ramblings as Alice opened the door to the compartment, a grin glowing on her face as she sat down next to him, "We're second year's now!"

James huffed at the interruption and crossed his arms but didn't say anything about it. He just pouted.

"Yes we are," Harry smiled at his friend, "Have a good summer?"

The dark haired girl nodded happily, "Yeah. Oh, Ellie should be here soon. We arrived together. She said she was going to wait for Will."

He nodded and James spoke up, obviously wanting to be in the conversation as well instead of just listening, "Sirius should be here soon also. He's trying to convince his brother to try and get into Gryffindor but I personally don't think he will. He's a lot like his parents."

Regulus was coming to Hogwarts this year. Harry had to befriend the younger boy and hopefully keep him on the light side.

As if on cue, Sirius came barging through the door, dragging his trunk and a smile brightening his face although Harry could tell it was slightly forced.

"Hello James, Mini-James, Alice," Sirius grinned, sitting next to James, "How is life?"

"How is life?" James repeated, a bemused look on his face, "Life is good."

Alice burst into giggles and Harry grinned at the two older boys.

"I think someone gave Alice a little too much sugar," Sirius said with a small laugh.

She started to giggle some more and choked out a, "Yep."

It seemed like Alice's laugh was contagious and before they knew it, they were all giggling hysterically.

"What are you four doing?" Ellie asked, grinning at the scene in front of her as she a Will walked in.

James stifled his laughter for a moment to say, "Laughing. Can't you tell?"

Ellie rolled her eyes at them and pulled Will into the compartment, "You guys are insane."

Once their giggles had effectively been diminished, Remus and Peter walked in.

"I'm not even going to ask what that giggling was," Remus said as he squeezed into the compartment. Harry didn't know what they would do when they were older. It was already cramped.

"Giggling? I was not giggling!" Sirius exclaimed, scandalized, "I was laughing. Giggling is for girls."

Ellie rolled her eyes, "Sure. You totally weren't giggling."

James stuck his tongue out at her, a grin still etched onto his face.

* * *

Harry sat down at the Gryffindor table next to Will before looking over to the Staff table to see who the new Defense Against The Dark Arts teacher was. The last one had gotten a job as an Auror and had quit. Harry was very thankful that nothing worse happened to him.

He quickly spotted the new teacher. This one was a woman. She had long blond hair and a pretty face. Harry saw Sirius staring at her and laughed at him, prompting the soon-to-be dog animagus to stick his tongue out at him.

Barely five minutes after Harry had sat down, the first years all shuffled in, looking scared. Harry scanned the crowd and found Regulus quickly. The younger Black did not look scared. He kept his face blank as he stared straight ahead, looking completely calm. A mask that had taken Harry years to perfect covered the boy's face.

Harry looked over to Sirius and could plainly see how much Sirius was hoping his brother would come to Gryffindor house with him. He could see the hope that Regulus would not follow his parent's path.

Harry wasn't going to let him go down that path, though. He would make sure Regulus didn't end up joining the Death Eaters.

McGonagal called out two names before, "Black, Regulus."

Sirius stiffened visibly and Harry saw him cross his fingers and start muttering under his breath, "Please Gryffindor. Please Gryffindor."

James noticed as well as he glanced at Sirius sadly, obviously having a feeling that Regulus would be going to Slytherin.

Harry turned his attention up to the sorting hat that sat on top of Regulus' head. He saw the blank mask slip for a second before being pulled back up. The Sorting Hat was taking a while.

"Slytherin!" The Sorting Hat shouted out for all to hear. Sirius visibly deflated, looking down at the table in disappointment.

"Dang it," Sirius groaned, "I was really hoping to get him into Gryffindor."

"You can still help him. Just because he got into Slytherin doesn't mean he's evil," Harry reminded him.

Sirius scowled at the table, "Yeah, I know. It just would have been easier if he was in Gryffindor."

Harry watched as Regulus walked to the Slytherin table with a smirk on his face.

* * *

A basilisk fang in one hand and the ring in the other, Harry was desperately glad that no one would see him as he destroyed the Horcrux. If they did, he would probably be in a lot of trouble.

It was late at night, way past curfew, as he was doing this. He didn't want to risk anybody walking in the Room of Requirement and seeing it. That would ruin everything.

He took a deep breath as he sat the ring on the ground and brought the basilisk fang above his head. Harry took another breath before he stabbed the ring.

A loud shriek filled the tense air of the Room of Requirement as the Horcrux died and black smoke oozed out of it and faded into the air.

Harry smiled slightly. Two down, three to go.

He walked up to the ring and picked it up. It was no longer enchanted so he could hold it safely.

The Resurrection Stone fell out.

He stared at it for a moment, desperately wishing he could use it to talk to Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Luna, Neville, and all the other's one last time. He knew he couldn't, though. They didn't even exist yet. There was no way that he could talk to them if they weren't even born. They hadn't died yet.

Staring at the stone on the floor, he contemplated what to do. He couldn't just leave it here. Someone could find it and he knew that he didn't need to let that happen. Especially if the ones most likely to find it were Ellie, Alice, and Will.

The best thing to do, Harry realized, was to destroy it.

He thought for a moment. How could he destroy it? He hadn't yet learned to control fiendfyre and he had a feeling that would work. What else was there?

He could always conjure a sledgehammer and just crush it. Or see if Fawkes could use some of his Phoenix powers to destroy it. Or maybe he could just banish it but he had no idea where if that would work.

The time traveler was starting to get frustrated. He needed to get back to his room soon so no one would notice but he also needed to destroy the stone before he did that!

"Ugh. Bombarda!" Harry shouted in frustration, wanting to let it out. He let a whole lot more magic roll out in that one spell than he normally would.

He blinked at the burn mark on the floor right where the ring used to be. The ring was gone, destroyed.

He didn't think he was strong enough to put that much power into one spell and now he felt slightly dizzy. This was the first spell he had cast in a few months and before, he had only really been casting easy spells and had to hold back. That spell was definitely stronger than he remembered it.

Slowly, he put the fang back into the enchanted bag, eyes wide with shock at what he had just done. He had actually just destroyed the Resurrection Stone.

He really needed to get some sleep so he swiftly put on the disillusionment charm over him and headed back to his room.

He was sure to have some nightmares tonight.

* * *

**AN: I hope you liked this chapter! **

**Until Next Chapter,**

**HPM**


	25. Chapter 24

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter**

* * *

Harry raised his eyebrows at Will.

"You're trying out?" he asked, perplexed. From the times he had seen Will flying, the boy wasn't very good.

Will nodded, looking nervous as he clutched his broom and gazed at the Quidditch field with wide eyes, "Yeah. Chaser."

Harry nodded, a little concerned with the fact that he would be trying out. He didn't want it to end up like last time when they both crashed. At least they would have much better brooms instead of the old ones they were using.

"I'm sure you'll do great," he smiled at his friend reassuringly.

Will grinned slightly, looking a little green.

"Ready, guys?" Ellie ran up to them, a confident grin lighting up her pale face.

Harry nodded, "I'm ready."

Will didn't look so sure but he nodded shakily as well, "M-Me too."

Ellie either didn't pick up on Will's nervousness or decided not to comment on it, "Well come on then! Try out's are about to start!"

Harry wasn't really nervous about try outs. He already had more experience flying then most others and besides, if he didn't get it, it wasn't the end of the world. Quidditch was just something that he enjoyed and while he had all this other stuff going around him, he wanted to have something fun to do as well. If he didn't get on the team, it wouldn't really matter, though. He could still fly during his free time.

"Here you are, little bro," James appeared at Harry's side quickly, grinning from ear to ear, "Here's our new seeker."

Harry rolled his eyes at James (and Sirius who was standing beside him), "We haven't tried out yet."'

James shrugged, "We all know you're going to get it, though."

"Wait. What are you doing here?" Ellie asked, "Aren't you already on the team?"

"We have to try out again, anyway. The captain wants to make sure he get's the very best team," Sirius answered her.

"Oh. Okay then," Ellie replied, frowning slightly.

James opened his mouth to say something but was cut off as the captain, Benjamin Bell, spoke up, "Alright. This is Gryffindor Quidditch try-outs. If you're not here to try-out, then either leave or go sit on the bleachers."

Harry's gaze flickered over to Alice, Remus, and Peter in the stands. He felt Will shift nervously beside him, as if contemplating whether or not to just leave.

He stayed, though. Although, a few people did leave or go to the stands.

"Okay. No cheating and no throwing a fit if you don't get on the team," Benjamin scowled slightly at those words, "Seekers are up first. If you are not trying out for Seeker, please go sit in that section of the stands over there. I will call each section up one at a time and explain what they have to do. After everyone has tried out, I will tell everyone who got on the team and who didn't."

After he finished talking, most of the people standing there went to the stands to wait. The only people left were Harry and two other boys and a girl.

Benjamin smiled at them and pulled a snitch out of the pocket of his Quidditch robes, "You will go one by one. I will release this snitch and you will catch it. You will each go three times. Got it?"

The four of them nodded and Harry grinned slightly, gazing at the snitch in Benjamin's hands.

"Alright. We'll go by alphabetical order according to last names. Hill, you're up first."

One of the boys, tall and lean with spiky blond hair and looked to be in fourth or fifth year, mounted his broom. Benjamin released the snitch and it automatically soared away. Benjamin waited a minute before telling Hill to go.

Hill took off quickly, his eyes darting around the pitch for any sign of the golden snitch which had disappeared from view.

Harry looked around as well. It took him a few minutes but he spotted it near the goals.

Hill did as well just a few seconds after Harry and shot off towards the snitch. He was fast on his broom, Harry could tell, but he wasn't doing very well with the turns and those were very important in being a Seeker.

It took ten minutes for him to catch the Snitch. In a game, that would be very fast but it was moderate with no bludgers and other players flying around.

They all clapped politely but Harry looked over and saw that the other boy looked pale.

Hill went two more times, catching the Snitch around the same time both times.

"Alright. Thank you, Hill. Mitchell, you're up," Benjamin smiled.

The girl mounted her broom. She looked to be a fifth or sixth year and had long brown hair pulled back.

She did better than Hill did. She caught the snitch in around five to eight minutes each time and her turns were a lot more graceful. She would be good competition to play against. It was too bad they were both Gryffindors.

When she landed for her last time, the boy beside Harry was scowling greatly, looking annoyed that she was so good.

"The Younger Potter," Benjamin called out. Harry mounted his broom and once Benjamin blew the whistle and let the snitch go, he was in the air.

He grinned as he felt the wind in his face as he soared through the air. Somehow, this was better than flying at home. This was the Hogwarts Quidditch Pitch. He felt more at ease as he flew around, chasing that little, golden, flying ball.

He spotted it quickly. Somehow, being in the air and looking around made it even easier to spot. It was flying around the middle of the pitch, low to the ground.

He leaned forward in his broom to make it go faster as he reached his hands out for the snitch. A rush of excitement went through him as he curled his fingers around it. Memories came to his mind of playing in actual games in the original timeline as a grin lit up his face.

He quickly flew back down to Benjamin and handed the snitch back. Benjamin looked at him, eyebrows in his hairline in disbelief, "Five minutes. And you're a second year?"

Harry nodded, feeling slightly guilty since he was technically out of Hogwarts.

Benjamin smiled, "Well, let's go again."

* * *

Harry sat in the stands, watching as James, Ellie, and Will all walked over to try out for Chaser. Harry's try out's had gone really well. The other boy, Wright, hadn't been good though. It took him twenty minutes to catch the snitch.

He hadn't acted too terrible as he left but Harry could tell he was angry and he didn't even stick around until the end.

His gaze was stuck on his friends at the moment. From where he was, he could vaguely hear Benjamin giving them instructions. He could hear 'three at a time' and 'see who can get the most goals'.

The first three were called up and this group included Will. Harry watched carefully as Will shakily mounted his broom. His mind was screaming at him to stop Will. The second year boy hadn't mounted it right.

However, he stayed where he was. He would jump in if he needed to. Besides, it was close to how it was supposed to be mounted.

He immediately knew that something would happen once they took off.

Will wasn't really flying right. He was extremely nervous and this was affecting his flying. His broom was wobbly, for one, and he was very pale.

Harry also instantly realized that he was pale because he was high up. Will hadn't gotten over his fear of heights that had accumulated from his near death the year before.

Reaching into his pocket, he grabbed his wand just in case.

The other two Wizards laughed at Will, rolling their eyes as they shot over and over again. Will was holding onto his broom as if his life depended on it, not even trying to shoot.

The two wizards up there, Harry realized, were twins. Two fraternal twin boys. Harry instantly disliked them. They flew with an air of cockiness.

It didn't seem like they were competing against each other. They both continued to pass the Quaffle back and forth, both scoring equal amounts of times.

Will flew sloppily.

Then the whistle blew. One of the twins jumped slightly, having apparently got caught up in making Will look like a loser, that he didn't realize they were timed. He dropped Quaffle and his eyes widened as it hit Will's broom and knocked him off course.

Harry's heart skipped a beat as Will fell toward the ground, memories of the last time coming towards his head. Sure, Will wasn't as high but that didn't really matter sometimes, especially at the angle he would most likely pand the way he had been thrown off his broom.

His wand was in his hand in no time and he whispered, "Arresto Momentum."

No one his age should know that spell and Harry was thankful that no one around him had heard, all focusing on Will.

Even with Harry's spell, Will landed with a 'thud'. Although, it didn't look like much damage had happened except maybe a concussion.

He rushed on field towards his friend, as well as many others.

"Wow, Mini-James," Sirius said with wide eyes, "Will is really accident prone."

Something came to his mind. Will could have died here as well. Will could have died in the first broom accident. Will could have died in the stairs incident.

Was Will just destined to die?

* * *

**AN: Hope you liked it! So... Will had another near death experience. O.O **

**A few announcements!**

**I go back to school on August 12th. While I will do my best to continue updating once a week like always, it might be a bit shaky.**

**Also, my birthday is August 17th! I'll finally be 14! I'm the youngest out of all my friends. I'll be starting High School this year so... this should be fun.**

**I also have band camp next week so my next update might be a little late.**

**Until Next Chapter,**

**HPM**


	26. Chapter 25

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

* * *

Harry sat by Will's bed in the Hospital Wing with his friends. Will wasn't hurt that much. It was just a fractured wrist and a concussion that was healed quickly so Harry's thoughts were mostly on his new realization.

When did Will die and how could Harry make sure he won't?

Had Will originally died during his first flying lesson? Harry was starting to doubt that as he thought. If he had, they would have replaced the brooms with better, safer ones. Harry was sure of that.

However he wasn't sure about that time Will fell down the stairs and the incident that just happened.

Had Will died during one of those times or had it still not happened yet?

There was also the problem with discovering how Ellie had died.

"What are you thinking about?" Harry was drawn out of his thoughts at the sound of Ellie's voice.

His eyes darted over to her and he answered with what was becoming a normal answer for things he couldn't say, "Eleventy Four."

Ellie rolled her eyes, used to this response, "You always say that. What does it mean?"

He shrugged, "It's a number."

"No it's not."

"It's an imaginary number," Harry grinned.

Ellie just laughed at him. Her eyes flickered to Will and she stopped, looking tired and sad.

"This is the third time he's been in the Hospital Wing for something that could have killed him. I thought Hogwarts was supposed to be safe!" She looked really angry at this fact. Harry saw Alice shift uncomfortably at the change in the atmosphere.

Sirius, doing what he did best, tried to calm the tension, "I know! If Hogwarts is the safest Wizarding School, what are the others like? Is there a Cerberus in there school?"

Harry laughed at the irony of that sentence, thinking of his first year in the original timeline. His laugh broke the tension that had formed in the room and Sirius seemed pleased at his accomplishment.

"Maybe there's a dragon that eats the firstie's?" James grinned, diffusing the tension even more and making Alice and Peter laugh slightly.

"Only on seventh year makes it through, probably," Peter said with a laugh.

Ellie giggled, mind off of her earlier thoughts, "Maybe this is the safest school."

Harry couldn't help it. He just started laughing hysterically. He knew full well that while Hogwarts was supposed to be the safest Wizarding School, it definitely wasn't.

They looked at him weirdly but didn't say anything about it.

Will stirred slightly in the Hospital Bed. Alice and Ellie were immediately by his side, Harry and the Marauders shortly after.

"Wh't h'ppend?" Will slurred, blinking his eyes open and looking around confusedly.

Alice smiled weakly, "You crashed your broom."

The injured boy groaned, pushing himself into a sitting position and rubbing his eyes, "Merlin! I had hoped I would have some talent at flying. Apparently, I have none, though."

"Why do you want to fly so much?" Ellie asked curiously but softly.

Will grimaced slightly, blinking excessively and hesitating as if he was having a mental argument with himself about whether or not to say it. In the end, he admitted, "My dad is a very good Quidditch Player. I wanted to make him proud."

Harry understood immediately. He had felt the same way when Ron and Hermione got prefect and he didn't. He had wanted to be like his parents and make them proud.

"He'd be proud of you no matter what you do," Remus assured him. Harry's eyes flickered over to him as he realized just how more mature Remus was compared to Sirius and James. Harry knew it was because he had been through more than Sirius and James.

Will shrugged, "I know. That's what he said. I just... I don't know."

Harry caught his eye and saw the confusion, disappointment, and tension that laced them. He could tell that Will wanted to make his father proud and was disappointed that he hadn't managed to do that.

Will seemed to realize that the atmosphere was so awkward and said, "So, what happened afterwards?"

This question immediately made Ellie deflate and scowl down at her lap while Sirius and James grinned widely.

"I got Chaser again and Sirius got Beater and Harry got Seeker," James grinned happily, "This year's going to be awesome."

Will seemed to realize without asking that Ellie had not gotten on the team.

Alice, however, clarified, "Ellie got on the reserve team, though. If there's ever a player out, she get's to play."

Will nodded, "That's good. It should be a good yet for the Quidditch season."

"Definitely," Harry and James spoke in unison, making Sirius, Remus, and Peter crack up.

"It looks so weird. You guys look so similar. It was like two James' were speaking," Sirius snickered.

James just rolled his eyes and shoved Sirius slightly.

* * *

"What are you doing?"

Ellie's voice made Harry jump from his spot on a couch in the Room of Requirement. He automatically shut his book he was reading on instinct, although it was a good thing he did because Ellie didn't need to know what he was reading.

"Nothing," He answered.

She cocked her head to the side, "It sure doesn't look like nothing. You were so concentrated on that book that you didn't even notice me come in. What's it about?"

Harry's mind quickly worked to come up with a lie, "Defense Against the Dark Arts spells."

"Really?" She grinned, "Learned anything interesting?"

"Uh.. Well, I learned how to defend myself against a Boggart." He lied.

Her interest seemed to peak even more, making Harry grown mentally, "Really? How?"

"Well... A Boggart shows your deepest fears so what you have to do is picture whatever you fear the most as something funny and say, 'Riddikulus'."

"That sounds ridiculous," Ellie grinned at her own pun.

He rolled his eyes, "It doesn't seem that hard. Granted, it probably is when facing an actual boggart, though. I have no idea what my worst fear would be."

That wasn't a lie. It used to be dementors but now, he wasn't so sure. There was so many more things that he was scared of, most he couldn't explain to people.

"Mine would probably be Death Eaters," She shivered, "Those news reports are scary."

He nodded, "Mine would probably be seeing my family die."

* * *

Taking a deep breath, Harry opened his eyes and grinned at the sight of his entire right arm covered in feathers. He was getting closer with his transformation every time he practiced, although slowly. He knew everyone (but Will) were doing really good as well.

Will was still stuck, having forgotten about it over the summer. However, Ellie and Alice had started to get closer to their animals while Sirius and James had almost found their animals. James had almost figured out he was a Stag and Sirius had already found out he was a black dog. He just didn't know what type yet.

Sirius and James had gone a lot faster than Harry expected them too. However, they had worked really hard, nearly nonstop, over the summer. Harry had a feeling that they would be working on transforming soon.

He closed his eyes again, taking deep breaths and focused on his arm looking the way it had before. He willed the feathers to me removed, pushing magic through his body. A minute later, when he opened his eyes, they were gone.

Wiping sweat off of his brow, he concluded that he had had enough for that day and picked up his book again. He waved his wand over the front, releasing the spell so he could open it, and started to read again.

This book was telling Harry more about magic. He wanted to find out how in the world he had managed to destroy that stone with only a bombarda. That should be impossible with all of the magic in the ring, yet he managed to do it. How?

So far, the book had given him many useful and interesting facts but nothing said anything about destroying the Ressurection Stone with only a bombarda.

Harry guessed it wouldn't.

However, he was looking for any hints he could find. He needed to know how he had managed the impossible.

How he had done something that not even Merlin himself probably could have done?

* * *

**AN: Yes, I'm late. Sorry. Band Camp and all that distracted me and I was too exhausted to write.**

**This chapter had not been beta'd but I will replace it when it has.**

**A few people have been saying it was unrealistic for Harry to destroy the stone so easily. I did that for a reason and as you saw towards the end, there will be a reason for it. Also, we learned why Will wanted to try out as some people were wondering.**

**Until Next Chapter,**

**HPM**

**EDIT: I replaced Stiles with Harry in that sentence. I had been reading Teen Wolf fanfiction right before finishing the chapter and accidentally typed Stiles instead of Harry. Thanks to Sammi D for catching it. **


	27. Chapter 26

**Disclaimer: I sadly do not and never will own Harry Potter.**

* * *

Harry quickly passed by people in the hallway as he kept his eyes on Regulus. They were already a month into the school year and he hadn't yet said a word to the younger Black. Once realizing this, Harry had made it his mission to have a conversation with the boy and show him that Gryffindor's weren't bad.

This was one of the times he was really glad he was a Gryffindor. While being a Slytherin would help him be closer to Regulus, being a Gryffindor would show him that Slytherin's weren't the only "right" ones.

His green eyes stayed focused on the Slytherin as he dodged the other students, occasionally bumping into some.

His ears picked up snippets from other conversations as he tried to pass by them.

"We're late to Charms!"

"What's the incantation?"

"Have you heard..."

"The Death Eater's are right!"

That last thing stopped him in his tracks. He knew that voice.

Bellatrix Black was talking to a group of familiar second years. Richardson, Crouch, Crabbe, and quiet Slytherin named Alexander Allen.

Why hadn't anyone else heard that? She wasn't being exactly quiet yet everyone was walking by like nothing was coming out of her mouth.

He inched closer and acted like he was looking for someone in the hallway.

"They're terrorists," Allen sounded exasperated, "They kill people. How is that right?"

"They only kill Mudblood's and Blood-traitor's," Richardson sneered at him, "Are you a blood-traitor?"

Allen's eyes widened and he stammered out, "Of-of course not but they don't deserve to die!"

"Yes they do!" Crabbe rolled his eyes.

"The Mudbloods stole our magic and the blood-traitor's defend them. They deserve death," Crocuh crossed his arms and glared at Allen.

Bellatrix beamed at them and Harry blanched for a second before going back to pretending to look for someone. How had no one heard them yet? They were in the middle of the hallway!

"Exactly. So, Allen, are you in?" The seventh year asked, glaring at him.

Harry watched out of the corner of his eye as Allen looked apprehensive and thought for a moment. He took a deep breath, as if summoning his courage, and shook his head.

Bellatrix growled threateningly and he backed up slightly. Harry fingered his wand, getting ready to intervine if anything happened.

"Bellatrix," Richardson hissed as Bellatrix went for her wand, "We're in the hallway. The silencing charm but prevent people from hearing anything but they can still see us."

Harry froze in shock and disbelievement.

"Fine," Bellatrix said before swiftly incanting the counter spell for the silencing charm and walking away.

* * *

Harry dropped his bag next to Remus' hospital bed and smiled at the werewolf, "Hey Remus."

"Hey Harry," Remus replied tiredly as he sat up in his bed, a new scar on his arm.

"How are you?" He asked, concern leeking through.

Remus smiled reassuringly at him, "I'm good."

"That's good. You're in the hospital wing a lot," Harry said, acting like he was just stating a fact.

The third year froze and his eyes widened. Harry could practically see the wheels turning in his head, "Yeah. I have a weak metabolism."

Harry nodded and put on a disbelieving face. He needed to make it seem like he was suspicious of Remus' constant "sickness". That way it would be more believable when he "figured it out".

"Anyway, How's you classes going?" Harry asked him.

"Good," Remus answered with a smile, "I'm exceeding in everything so far."

"That's great."

The werewolf nodded, "Yeah, it is. Peter's doing a good job as well. We're, well, really me, are helping him study this year."

Harry smiled. So far, Peter seemed to be going on a good path. Harry was hoping he would be able to keep him from going dark.

"That's really good," He answered.

"Yep. How's Will?" Remus asked.

Harry replied, "He's good. That headache that has been bothering him is almost gone."

Remus smiled and nodded, opening his mouth to say something. However, he was cut off as James, Sirius, and Peter ran into the Hospital Wing and talking loudly, making Madam Pomfrey get onto them.

* * *

Sitting in the Room of Requirement, he frowned in thought. He still had no idea how he had managed to destroy the Resurrection Stone with only a Bombarda and now he had another mystery to add onto that.

How had he managed to hear through the silencing charm?

How did Will die? How did Ellie die? How was he going to defeat Voldemort? How was he going to get to the rest of the horcruxes to destroy them? How was he going to bring Regulus to the light side?

There were so many unanswered questions!

Groaning in frustration, he leaned back on the couch. He had no idea how he was going to do everything.

The door to the Room of Requirement opened and Harry jumped at the sudden flurry of talking.

The Marauders had just walked into the room as they gazed around excitedly before their eyes landed on Harry.

"Harry?" James furrowed his eyebrows in confusion.

He smiled nervously, "Hey, James. What's up?"

"What kind of room is this?" Sirius asked.

"The Room of Requirement," Harry responded sheepishly, "It gives you whatever you want. This is a training room that Ellie, Alice, Will, and I put together."

"This is how you're so good!" Peter exclaimed.

Chuckling nervously, Harry nodded.

"You didn't tell us?" James sounded scandalized, "We told you all about the map and everything else!"

He winced, "Sorry."

James and Sirius crossed their arms in an annoyed fashion.

"It's a nice room," Remus said with a shrug, holding back a smile at James and Sirius' behavior.

Harry smiled at him, "Thanks."

"Well, show us around at least!" Sirius exclaimed after a few minutes of an awkward silence.

Harry laughed and rolled his eyes, "All right. Over here is the Potion's area where we practice all different types of potions, including ones we're learning in class and ones we haven't learned yet..."

He spent the rest of the day showing James, Sirius, Peter, and Remus around the room and explaining the different area's of the room to them before making them take an oath that they wouldn't tell anyone about it.

He had a feeling Remus was starting to wonder why he had made them take the oath especially since he had already made them take an oath on the Animagus forms.

* * *

**AN: YAY! The Marauders have discovered the Room of Requirement. I will say how they found it in the next chapter.**

**Harry can hear through silencing charms! Hehe. I have a reason for this. Trust me. **

**Until Next Chapter,**

**HPM**


	28. Chapter 27

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

* * *

Ducking through the hallways and searching for either Regulus or Severus to speak to. He needed to start trying to keep them on the light side but he couldn't do that if he didn't ever speak to them and try to become their friend.

Careening down the halls and up and down steps, he did his best to find them. He was thankful it was a Saturday, though. He didn't have to get to a class any time soon.

As he arrived at an empty area on the 13th floor, he stopped as he heard footsteps coming toward him. Usually this wouldn't bother him as there was a lot of people in the castle but some sixth sense that had evolved from the war made him freeze and reach for his wand.

He was glad he did.

Bellatrix walkde out of the shadows, smirking insanely at him. Harry had realized that she seemed to become a little more like the Bellatrix Harry knew from the original timeline over the summer. She must have been in Voldemort's presence a little too much.

Along with her was Richardson, Crabbe, Crouch, and a few other students that Harry recongnized as either Death Eaters from his time or wizards that practiced in the Dark Arts. There were eight people surrounding him and his heart rate spead up.

"We finally found you!" Bellatrix cackled, "We've been searching everywhere for you."

"Go away," He spoke in a firm voice, "Leave. Now."

She smirked, "Why would we do that? We have to ask you something."

"Whatever you want me to do, I won't do it," Harry spoke, voice never wavering. A flashback from the year before came to his mind as he remembered listening to Bellatrix and Lucius Malfoy speaking about recruiting him.

"How do you know if you don't listen?" She asked, cooing at him as if he was a baby, "Here's the thing. We want you to join the Death Eaters."

Gripping his wand tightly, he spoke, "Never."

"Are you sure? Don't you want power? Don't you want a family?"

Harry could tell what she was trying to do. She knew he was an Orphan.

"I have a family," He hissed, "I'm never going to be a Death Eater."

She twirled her wand, "I'm sure a little convincing is in order."

Harry saw the torture spell coming toward him and dived out of the way. It hit the wall and bounced off.

Bellatrix's face grew pink as she looked embarresed, "Come on, Harry. Just join us."

"Never," He glared angrily, "Stupefy!"

The seventh year just barely ducked out of the way of the spell and stumbled. Harry quickly sent another spell towards her, thinking this one would hit her.

However, it seemed she had been training with the Death Eater's as she quickly threw up a Shield Charm and then threw an unknown purple spell at him.

It bounced off his shield and hit Crabbe where a dark red gash appeared on his stomach and he fell to the floor, still breathing.

"Expelliarmus!" It missed Bellatrix and Harry was cut off gaurd as a spell came towards him from another direction, making him fall to the ground to avoid it. It seem the other's were joining in the fight.

"Protego!" He shouted, creating a shield and bouncing a Stupefy back at a wizard he recongnized as becoming a Death Eater. The student, a fifth year boy, fell to the floor, unconcious.

He kept the shield up, doing his best to defend himself from the spells around him. It was six against one already and Harry knew he didn't have a very good chance of defeating them all. However, he wasn't going to run.

He just hoped someone came along and helped him.

He let his shield down slightly and disarmed Richardson , catching his wand and putting it in his pocket quicker than he thought was possible. He was just about to throw his shield back up when a cutting curse hit him on his right wrist and blood started to pour out.

Making sure to look like it wasn't affecting him and never wavering, he poured more magic into his shield to make it stronger and bigger.

Another cutting curse grazed his ankle as he manoveured himself so he could use Richardson's wand to knock out a seventh year Ravenclaw.

The shield was starting to crack from so many spells hitting it. He pushed more magic into it and started to feel slightly light headed. It was the strongest shield he had ever produced.

A blue spell came burrowing towards him and he just narrowly managed to move his shield to block it as he defended himself. His heart skipped a beat as he realized that the spell could have very well killed him and he wouldn't have been able to finish his mission.

He blocked a few more spells and continued pushed more magic into it to keep it from crumbling. Concentrating so hard on his shield, he didn't notice a spell coming towards him from behind until it was too late.

The spell hit him in the back, making his shield crumble and fly forward into the wall. His attackers had moved out of the way already, having seen what was going on. He could feel blood seeping from his shirt on his back and his heart nearly stopped in fright. He couldn't die now. He couldn't!

"Hey!" He heard a shout from the distance. It sounded really far away and he couldn't place it. His brain was fuzzy from magical exhaustion and blood loss and his mind had temporarily gone back to the Final Battle in the fighting.

He blearily opened his eyes, wanting nothing more than to go to sleep, and saw that Bellatrix had already run from the scene but the rest were still there, either unconcious from his spell or furiously trying to shield themselves from the array of spells coming towards them.

Confusion over taking him, he summoned his strength and turned towards the source of the spells. What he spotted really puzzled him in his state. Four familiar looking, although angry, boys flinging spells at the Death Eaters were running up. His eyes, however zeroed in on one particulular one that nearly made him pass out from that alone.

"Dad?" He mumbled softly before darkness over took him.

* * *

_**EXTRA**_

James Potter was panicking. Anyone could see this. Especially a certain werewolf with super senses.

Remus had no idea why he was panicking but he was and it was starting to freak him out as his friend continued to pace up and down their dorm room.

Sirius ignored him, opting to sit on his bed with some Muggle magazing that he had gotten to annoy his parents but had actually really liked. Although, Remus could tell that Sirius seemed unnerved about something as well. Though, it could just be from James pacing so much.

Peter was looking worriedly at James much like Remus was. His face was a mixture between confusion and warriness.

After a few five minutes of James pacing back and forth, Remus decided to find out what was going on.

"James, what's going on?" He asked.

"I-I don't know," James spoke, voice shaking slightly, "Somethings wrong."

Sirius looked up from his magazine, looking worried and biting his fingernails, a bad habit that he had whenever he was nervous, "Yeah. I can feel it too. Something's really wrong."

"What are you two talking about?" Peter asked with raised eyebrows.

James stopped pacing and ran his fingers through his hair, "I don't know! It's this horrible feeling, though. Somethings wrong and we have to find out what it is!"

Sirius nodded, instantly agreeing. He jumped off the bed and tossed the magazine onto the bed, "Let's go."

"Where are we going?" Remus asked confusedly as James dragged him and Peter quickly out of the room.

"We don't know!" Sirius said exasperatedly, "We've only told you a million times."

James sighed loudly and glared at them, moving quickly out of the common room and into the hallway.

They ran in silence, ignoring teachers yells to walk. They travelled through hallways and up stairs but they didn't come across anything for a long time. Remus was starting to think that James and Sirius had gone insane but the looks on the two's face told him that they were absolutely positive that something was wrong.

After a while, a first year Hufflepuff girl came running down the hallway, pale and near tears.

"What's wrong?" James said, instantly stopping in his tracks.

Remus wondered if this was the thing they were looking for. A scared and upset Hufflepuff.

However, he was soon rebuted, "Th-There's a fight g-going on d-down th-there."

The girl looked like she was about to break down sobbing.

"Where?" James asked, his wand coming out instantly. Remus raised his eyebrows at him. After all, fights happened all the time at Hogwarts.

She pointed down the hallway, "Down th-there. It's a whole b-bunch of students a-against one. I think they a-attacked him. I-I went to get a teacher."

Remus gaped. Yeah, there were a lot of fights at Hogwarts but not many plain attacks.

James instantly took off running, Sirius not far behind him. Remus and Peter, not wanting their friends to get hurt by running into an attack, followed. The Hufflepuff called after them, "Be careful!"

It didn't take long to find them. Remus' breath was shocked away momentarilly. It was Harry.

He was slumped on the floor, blood bleeding mostly from his back but other parts on his body as well. He was extremelly pale and his wand lay limply to his side. Three students were already knocked out as well and four stared at Harry frozen, as if not believing what had just happened.

"HEY!" James screamed loudly, anger lacing his voice as he instantly threw a spell at the four students. It hit one and he flew back, knocked out. The other three had shields out quickly, blocking the spells that all four of them were sending towards them.

You don't mess with Harry.

Remus was so angry he had to fight for control over his wolf. If he let his wolf take control, he wasn't going to turn or anything but he would probably rip their heads off.

Once realizing that continuing to shoot spells was just making him angrier and angrier, he stopped and allowed James, Sirius, and Peter to fight as he started towards Harry to make sure he was okay.

"Dad?" His improved hearing picked up the mumble from Harry.

He really wanted to wonder what that meant but he needed to focus on making sure his best friend's brother was alright.

He quickly got on his knees in front of Harry and looked his damage over to the best of his abilities, trying to remember what Madam Pomfrey had taught him what to do when he transformed from werewolf to human and had bad injuries.

His wrist was bleeding pretty bad and Remus hoped that he hadn't hit an artery. His ankle had a trickle of blood on it but it was mostly fine; nothing major.

The worst was his back. It looked like someone had stabbed him about five times in different areas. Blood was pouring from the wounds and Remus was terrified about the blood loss and major organs.

He took his wand out and cast a simple charm over him to tell him if any major organs had been hit. Those could be healed with magic but they were a lot harder and had a smaller chance of survival.

Luckily though, the spell came back saying no major arteries had been hit

He took his wand and conjured some bandages. That spell had been one of the first ones he had learned so he was perfect at it as he applied pressure to his back wound to try and stop the bleeding. He knew that even if no major arteries were hit, blood loss could still kill him and there was a puddle off blood around him.

"Crap. Crap. Crap," Remus jumped slightly as a voice sounded from beside him. James was down on his knees, looking more scared than he had ever looked in his life, "What do I do?"

"Apply pressure to his wrist," Remus ordered, taking the role of leader for once instead of follower, "We need to stop the bleeding."

Turning slightly to face a pale Peter, he said, "Find a teacher, Peter! Quickly!"

Peter ran off even faster than he had when Will had almost died. It wasn't like this that time. There wasn't so much blood.

"Oh my gosh," Sirius said, skin white as he watched in mostly terrified silence, "Oh my gosh."

They stayed like this, doing their absolute best to help the second year until a teacher finally showed up.

* * *

**AN: I hope this chapter makes up for skipping a week.**

**Or it might just make you want to kill me...**

**Anyway, an explanation is in order.**

**So I started High School on Monday the 12th and I quickly realized that my schedule was going to drastically change. I get up at 5:15 and on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, I get home around 4:00 PM but on Tuesdays and Thursday (Band practice) I get home around 6:00 PM. For the first week, however, my bus was extremely late so I was always getting home at 6:00 PM. I go to bed around 8:00 PM or 9:00 PM so I won't be very tired the next day. Fit in homework with that and I don't have very much time to write. I had the first part of this chapter written last week and finished it this week.**

**Therefore, I have changed my schedule a lot. Updates for Changing Lives are now on Saturdays. Also, this is tentatively. There may be times when it will be late. Real life comes first. However, I will do my best to update on time. **

**Until Next Chapter,**

**HPM**


	29. Chapter 28

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

* * *

Harry came to consciousness slowly. He felt exhausted, sore, and achy and he knew quickly shot up in bed in panic, thinking he was still in the fight.

"Harry!" James yelled, pushing him back down. Harry stared at James in shock. He had forgotten he was in the past, "Calm down."

"James?" He whispered in a relieved tone. He felt like such a big baby because of the fact that he was glad James was there.

James smiled weakly at him, running a hand through his hair, "Hey, buddy. How are you feeling?"

"I'm okay," Harry shrugged, taking deep, calming breaths.

"That's good," James said, ruffling his hair, "Poppy fixed you up. You'll be fine but don't you even think of getting out of this bed for at least twenty four hours. That's her rules, not mine but that doesn't mean I don't agree with them."

Harry rolled his eyes, doing his best to hide how jumpy he actually was at the moment. The attack had totally freaked him out. He hadn't expected to have to have a fight like that for at least another year or so and he hadn't been ready.

He took a deep breath, "Do you know what happened to the, uh, to the people who attacked me?"

James winced as if just hearing about it brought him pain, "Yeah. That's why Sirius, Remus, and Peter aren't here because trust me, if they could, they would be. They're talking to Dumbledore about what happened so they can be expelled."

"Expelled?" Harry's eyes widened as his mind furiously worked to think about how it could affect the future. It was a pretty major thing he had just changed and he had no idea how it could pan out.

"Yeah. What did you think? They would get off with just a warning?"James asked with raised eyebrows although Harry could see the anger in his eyes. He knew it wasn't directed to him though, "They nearly killed you!"

Harry flinched slightly, thinking about what would happen if he had died.

"Sorry," James said, obviously seeing the flinch, "They're lucky I didn't kill them, though."

He swallowed, trying not to think about the fact that his plans nearly all went down the drain, "Uh, does Will, Ellie, and Alice know yet?"

James nodded, "Yeah, they do. However, Poppy wouldn't let them stay. She said you needed your rest it would be too many people in the room if they came."

"Oh," Harry replied with an understanding nod, "That makes sense."

A wave of exhaustion suddenly hit him and he yawned.

"You tired?" James asked, "Poppy said you might be after you woke up. The potions she gave you had that affect."

Harry nodded as his eyes started to droop and he mumbled, "You really shouldn't call her Poppy."

James chuckled, "Go to sleep."

* * *

The news that Bellatrix had not been caught at the scene of the crime was both a relief and a terror.

For one, the fact that Bellatrix had not been expelled meant she couldn't go ahead and join the Death Eaters and she would still be able to get the Horcrux.

However, there was also the fact that she was in the school and extremely mad at him as well as being extremely dangerous to every student.

After a long and silent debate with himself, he had finally decided on not telling anyone that she had been there. It would just make things more difficult for his plans and he was sure she wouldn't try and attack anyone else at the school after she was so close at being caught.

That didn't mean he liked the fact that she was going unpunished for her actions. It just meant he was glad his plans would still work.

Everyone else had been caught, though, and they were all expelled. Harry was not looking forward to everyone discovering that the Minister's son was involved in nearly killing someone and was working with Death Eaters and had even been expelled from Hogwarts.

It was going to be very scandelous for reporters like Rita Skeeter.

After he had been realeased from the Hospital Wing, he had quickly noticed the new proctiveness not just from the Marauders, but the professors and some other students as well. Students like Lily, Frank, Rory, and Vance were constantly walking him to his class or at least keeping a very close eye on him in the hallway. In the case of Will, Ellie, and Alice, they were furiously training in the Room of Requirement to better equip themselves.

Most of the professors had held him after class and gave him a talk about how if he needed anyone to talk to, they were there.

His nightmares had growed majorly. Practically every night he pictured his friends dying. However, most of them involved Bellatrix somehow. She was quickly becoming his biggest worry.

Sadly, he had been unable to hide the nightmares from his friends and the Marauders. James even went as far as too steal Dreamless Sleep from Madam Pomfrey to get a few full nights sleep. He was very grateful for that but it was also very embarressing.

To get away from all that had happened, Harry took to working more and more on his Animagus form. Every day, he was slowly improving more and more.

He had also discovered that James and Sirius had found out what animals they were and were starting on the second part of their training. This surprised Harry greatly considering the fact that Ellie, Alice, and Will had months more in their training than them and they still hadn't managed that.

However, James and Sirius did have a more solid reason for wanting to achieve it.

Ellie and Alice were getting closer to discovering what they were as well and while Will had been working really hard, he had yet to improve much.

* * *

**AN: I'M SO SORRY! My life is crazy right now and I have discovered some things. There is no way I will be able to continue updating every week. The new schedule is every two weeks on Saturday. Once Marching Season is over, I will go back to updates once every week. I'm just too busy to do one every week and real life comes first.**

**It's a day late because I was gone all day yesterday and had no time to post it. **

**Also, I'm sorry it's short. The next chapter will be longer so bear with me. I decided that an easy chapter was good after that whole fiasco in the last one. You can expect some Harry/Lily interaction in the next chapter as well as some Harry/Regulus interaction.**

**Until Next Chapter,**

**HPM**


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